Pakistan court defers Imran Khan graft case hearing as defense seeks time
Defence counsel Salman Safdar says he couldn’t consult clients for months, requests time to proceed
Aamir Abbasi
Editor, Islamabad
Aamir; a journalist with 15 years of experience, working in Newspaper, TV and Digital Media. Worked in Field, covered Big Legal Constitutional and Political Events in Pakistan since 2009 with Pakistan’s Top Media Organizations. Graduate of Quaid I Azam University Islamabad.
A Pakistani court adjourned on Tuesday proceedings in a corruption case involving former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi until April 6, as defense lawyers sought time to clarify their legal strategy.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) deferred the hearing after a division bench comprising Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif took up petitions filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The case centers on appeals and requests for suspension of sentences in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
During the hearing, NAB prosecutor Javed Ashraf argued that the defense’s applications for suspension of sentence were premature, saying such pleas could not be considered before notices were issued in the main appeals under amended accountability laws. He urged the court to proceed with arguments on the primary appeals instead.
Defense counsel Salman Safdar rejected the argument, accusing authorities of attempting to prolong his clients’ detention. He said the defense was seeking interim relief in the form of bail and suspension of sentence, rather than a full hearing of appeals, which could take months. Safdar added he had been unable to consult his clients for several months and requested time to obtain instructions.
Chief Justice Dogar observed that if the main appeals were formally admitted for hearing, the court may not simultaneously take up suspension requests. He indicated the court could schedule multiple hearings per week if the defense was ready to proceed on the appeals. The court subsequently granted time and adjourned the case.
What is Al-Qadir Trust case
The Al-Qadir Trust case, also known as the £190 million case, relates to allegations that Khan, while in office, approved a settlement involving funds repatriated by Britain’s National Crime Agency that were allegedly diverted for the benefit of a charitable trust linked to the couple.
An accountability court previously convicted Khan and Bushra Bibi, sentencing them to 14 and seven years in prison respectively on charges of corruption and abuse of authority. Khan and his legal team deny wrongdoing, describing the case as politically motivated.
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