Pakistan: Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi file bail pleas in new Toshakhana case

Islamabad [Pakistan], August 27 (ANI): Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have filed separate post-arrest bail pleas in the new Toshakhana case related to a jewellery set gifted by the Saudi crown prince, Pakistan-based Geo News reported.

Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife have filed the applications through Barrister Salman Safdar under Section 9(b) of NA Ordinance 1999 and Section 497 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC). The applications have requested the accountability court to grant post-arrest bail to the couple in the “interest of justice and fair play”.

Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi have mentioned the state and National Accountability Bureau (NAB) chairman as parties to the case. The development comes at a time when Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi are on judicial remand in Adiala jail over the Toshakhana case filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) last week.

The couple was arrested in the said case on July 13, hours after a district and sessions court in Islamabad acquitted them in the iddat case (un-Islamic nikah case).

The reference, which comprises two volumes, was filed by NAB investigation officer Mohsin Haroon and case officer Waqar Hassan in an accountability court, according to a Geo News report.

The registrar of the accountability courts will review the new application. After removing the objections, the registrar will send the reference to the administrative judge of the accountability court.

The administrative judge will then decide on whether to conduct the hearing himself or transfer it to another accountability court. It is pertinent to note here that administrative Judge Nasir Javed Rana is already hearing the £190 million reference against Imran Khan.

The new NAB case is linked to a case related to a jewellery set gifted to the PTI founder’s wife Bushra Bibi by the Saudi crown prince when Imran Khan served as Pakistan’s PM from 2018 to 2022.

The jewellery set, including a ring, bracelet, necklace a pair of earrings was gifted to Bushra Bibi during her visit to Saudi Arabia in May 2021, according to the NAB’s reference. It said that Imran Khan and his wife have illegally kept the jewellery set, Geo News reported.

It stated that the deputy military secretary briefed the Toshakhana section officer to estimate and reveal the price of the jewellery set. It further said that the jewellery set was not deposited in Toshakhana.

The jewellery company sold the necklace for EUR300,000 and earrings for EUR80,000 in 2018. The details regarding the price of the bracelet and ring could not be obtained from the company.

On May 28, 2021, the price of the jewellery set was estimated worth Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 70.56 million, the price of the necklace was PKR 50.64 million and the price of the earrings included in the jewellery was worth 10.50 million back then, the report said.

According to the rules, the 50 per cent price of the jewellery set is approximately PKR 30.57 million. The national exchequer faced a loss of approximately PKR 30.28 after the jewellery was undervalued, Geo News reported.

According to the case, the former Pakistan PM and his wife violated the NAB Ordinance. It further said that an inquiry was started against them after the NAB chairman’s instructions on August 1, 2022.