On Wednesday, Imran and Bushra sentenced to a 14-year jail term. This is another setback for Imran Khan and his party. This happened because of the Toshakhana reference.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a new case against Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi. Accusers alleged that they retained a jewelry set received from the Saudi Crown Prince. Without paying the proper amount of money for it. This happened last month.
Imran and Bushra sentenced in the reference by the accountability court in Islamabad. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) said that when Imran was the Prime Minister. He and his wife received 108 gifts from different countries. This happened earlier this month.
The authorities made the decision merely eight days before the general elections on February 8. The PTI is taking part in the elections, but they are facing some problems. They are competing without an electoral symbol and there is a state crackdown happening.
The court has convicted Imran Khan for the third time. A special court established under the Official Secrets Act sentenced him and his foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi to 10 years in prison for the breach of state secrets.
A Toshakhana case resulted in Imran’s prior conviction, leading to a three-year prison sentence. The Islamabad High Court had suspended his sentence but later rejected Imran’s petition seeking the suspension of the conviction.
Today, Imran and Bushra sentenced to 14 years and imposed a 10-year ban on holding any public office. Additionally, they each received a fine of Rs787 million. The PTI founder was present during the hearing, but his wife did not appear before the court.
The judge closed the right of cross-examination of the prosecution witnesses and asked Imran and his spouse to record their statements. Imran’s lawyer sought more time to prepare for the case. The prosecution called it delaying tactics. They conducted the hearing at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, where the former premier is currently in custody.
Imran Khan mentioned his lawyers’ absence and clarified that he had attended solely to register his presence. After he left the courtroom, the court sentenced him and his wife in absentia. Later, Bushra Bibi arrived at Adiala Jail to surrender to the authorities. The anti-graft watchdog took her into custody and later declared Imran’s Banigala residence a sub-jail for Bushra, following a request by Adiala Jail’s superintendent.
Toshakhana Reference in which Imran and Bushra sentenced
On December 19, the NAB filed a Toshakhana reference against Imran Khan and his wife in an accountability court.
The reference involves keeping a jewelry set received from the Saudi crown prince, accused of being undervalued. The NAB claims that during Imran’s term as premier, they received 108 gifts from various heads of state and foreign dignitaries.
Out of these gifts, the accused persons retained 58 gift boxes/sets, undervalued at Rs142.1 million, according to the reference. The reference centers on a Graff jewelry set given by the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia, Mohammed bin Salman. On August 1, 2022, the NAB chairman delegated inquiry powers to the director general of NAB, Rawalpindi, upgrading it to an investigation on July 14, 2023.
During the investigation, it was revealed that Bushra Imran, the wife of accused Imran Khan, received the Graff jewelry set during an official visit.
Although reported to Toshakhana, the gift was not deposited as per the prescribed procedure. The reference alleges that Bushra Bibi, in connivance with Imran Khan, violated the procedure by not depositing the gift for true and transparent assessment.
It further states that the accused exerted pressure to undervalue the assessment, leading to the unlawful retention of the jewelry set. The assessment conducted was found to be highly undervalued, prompting the engagement of an industry expert for a more accurate evaluation.
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