Pakistan: Imran Khan seeks acquittal in 190 million case following SC verdict on NAB amendments

During the hearing at the accountability court in Rawalpindi's Adiala jail on Saturday, PTI founder filed a petition for acquittal in the case that accused Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, of causing a loss of billions of rupees to the national exchequer.

During the court hearing, Imran Khan's lawyer said that the 190 million case is no more valid after the verdict as all the cabinet decisions are protected in NAB amendments, according to a Geo News report.

The NAB prosecutor said, "The question that arises here is whether the accountability court has jurisdiction in this case or not after the NAB amendments."

He stated that if the court has jurisdiction in the case, then the acquittal petition can be heard.

At this, the PTI founder's lawyer said they have not challenged the jurisdiction of the court. He stressed that it is the court's discretion to make a decision on its jurisdiction. Then, the accountability court adjourned the hearing on Khan's acquittal plea until September 10.

Imran Khan filed the plea following the apex court's decision on Friday accepting intra-court appeals filed against the September 15, 2023, majority judgement striking down the amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO).

A five-member bench of the Supreme Court, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faiz Isa, accepted the intra-court appeals registered by the federal and provincial governments against the judgement announced on September 15, 2023.

Announcing the verdict, the Supreme Court said that Imran Khan could not prove that NAB amendments were unconstitutional.

The verdict was reserved on June 6 on various appeals filed against the Supreme Court's September 15 judgement that was announced by then-Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Umar Ata Bandial.

Some of the amendments made to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), 1999 were struck down in the majority judgement.

The amendments--National Accountability (Second Amendment) Act 2022--were passed in a joint sitting of the parliament in April 2022 during the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government, Geo News reported.

The sections 2, 4, 5, 6, 25, and 26 of the NAB laws were modified. However, nine of the 10 amendments were declared "null and void" by the CJP Bandial-led bench on the PTI founder's petition filed in June 2022.

According to the charges of the case, PTI founder and other accused allegedly adjusted 190 million sent by the UK's National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Pakistani government as part of the agreement with the property tycoon, Geo News reported.

Subsequently, Imran Khan got his cabinet's approval for the settlement with the UK crime agency on December 3, 2019, without revealing details regarding the confidential agreement, according to Geo News report. The decision was taken that the money will be submitted to the apex court on behalf of the tycoon.

According to the NAB officials, the PTI founder and his wife obtained land worth billions of rupees from the property tycoon, to construct an educational institute, in exchange for striking a deal to give legal cover to the property tycoon's black money that he got from the UK crime agency. (ANI)