The Islamabad High Court has lifted the stay on delivering the final verdict in the £190 million case involving Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi.
The court had previously issued an order halting the announcement of the verdict during the last hearing.
While hearing Imran Khan's application for provision of documents regarding the closure of the case, the high court lifted its previous stay order on delivering the final verdict in the case.
Moreover, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) submitted the records pertaining to the closure of the Al-Qadir Trust case to the court. A copy of these documents was provided to the PTI founder’s legal team.
Imran Khan's request for access to the case closure documents was granted, allowing his lawyers to review the details. The bench, consisting of Justice Miangul Hasan Aurangzeb and Justice Babar Sattar, heard the case and made the decision to lift the stay.
At the previous hearing, the IHC had issued a temporary halt on the trial court from delivering its final verdict in the £190 million case. The IHC had directed the NAB to provide a response by Wednesday.
The IHC division bench, including Justices Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb and Babar Sattar, heard arguments regarding Khan's request for the records related to NAB’s previous decision to close the case.
Present in the courtroom were Salman Akram Raja, Arif Alvi, Shibli Faraz, Ali Muhammad Khan, Azam Khan, and others. Salman Safdar, Khan's lawyer, had highlighted that the case was currently under review, with 35 witnesses having been examined and the cross-examination of the final witness, the investigating officer, was still in progress.
He noted that eight people are accused, with six still at large and the case against the remaining two, a husband and wife, ongoing. Safdar explained that the accusation against Khan involved his facilitation of the £190 million transaction during his tenure as the prime minister.
The NAB alleged that the funds, meant for a bank deposit, ended up in the Supreme Court's account. He asserted that the Al-Qadir Trust, mentioned in the reference, was an active and registered trust.
When questioned about the trust's registration, Safdar acknowledged that it was registered but promised to provide further clarification in the next hearing after the court indicated that it had information suggesting otherwise.
Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb warned Khan’s legal team against employing delaying tactics, stating that continued delays could lead to the revocation of the stay order and a prompt verdict from the trial court. The IHC’s stay order prevented the trial court from issuing a final verdict while instructing the NAB to submit its response by Wednesday.
The trial will proceed as directed by the court.
