A Pakistani court fined on Wednesday the country’s anti-corruption watchdog PKR100,000 for repeatedly seeking adjournments in bail suspension pleas filed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in the Al-Qadir Trust case.
The fine was imposed by the Islamabad High Court on the National Accountability Bureau during proceedings in the capital, Islamabad.
The move came as Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, or PTI, sought suspension of the couple’s sentences before the Muslim holiday of Eid. The hearing ended without a new date being announced.
After the proceedings, Khan’s lawyers met Chief Justice Sardar Sarfraz Dogar to request an early hearing. No new date was immediately issued.
Khan and Bushra Bibi were each sentenced to 14 years in prison by an accountability court in the Al-Qadir Trust case. Both are currently incarcerated at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
Their appeals for suspension of sentence were heard by Chief Justice Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif.
Appearing for Khan, senior lawyers Salman Safdar and Aitzaz Ahsan told the court that a power of attorney had been sent to Adiala Jail for Khan’s signature but had not been verified.
Ahsan told the court he had not been able to formally appear because the power of attorney had not been signed. He argued that lawyers were not being allowed near the jail to obtain the signed document.
Chief Justice Dogar remarked that the superintendent of Adiala Jail typically ensures that any power of attorney sent for signature is duly signed.
Safdar urged the court to proceed with the hearing, noting that the last 10 days of Ramadan had begun and Eid was approaching. He said courts traditionally show leniency toward women and added that the suspension pleas were being heard after 14 months.
Safdar also pointed out that the special prosecutor for the National Accountability Bureau was not present in court.
A junior prosecutor representing NAB told the court that the special prosecutor was appearing before another NAB court. The prosecutor said a miscellaneous application had been filed regarding the maintainability of the suspension pleas.
Safdar said the defense was only seeking a hearing and not an immediate verdict. He opposed further adjournment.
During arguments, Ahsan also claimed that Khan had been kept in solitary confinement for 65 days without being allowed to meet family members or lawyers. He told the court that Khan developed an eye problem during that period.
NAB requested additional time to respond to the defense applications.
The court expressed concern over the absence of the special prosecutor and imposed a PKR100,000 fine on NAB. It also issued notices to Khan and Bushra Bibi on the bureau’s miscellaneous application.
The hearing was subsequently adjourned.
Following the proceedings, PTI lawyers, including Aitzaz Ahsan and Salman Akram Raja, along with Khan’s sisters, waited outside the court secretary’s office in an attempt to secure the next hearing date.
Later, Chief Justice Dogar met Khan’s legal team and assured them that a new date for the hearing would be scheduled soon.
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