The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued notices to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and other respondents in response to appeals filed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi. The couple is seeking the suspension of their sentences in the £190 million corruption case.
A division bench comprising Acting Chief Justice Sardar Mohammad Sarfaraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif heard the petitions. Senior lawyer Sardar Latif Khosa, representing the petitioners, requested that the case be scheduled for hearing next week, a request the court granted.
On January 17, 2025, an accountability court sentenced Bushra Bibi to seven years in prison and Imran Khan to fourteen years. Their legal team argues that the conviction was based on procedural irregularities and lacked credible evidence. They cited a 2021 UK Court of Appeal judgment indicating that the £190 million in question was not considered proceeds of crime. The funds were part of a settlement between the UK’s National Crime Agency and property tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain, intended to be transferred to Pakistan’s Supreme Court under a legally binding agreement.
The defense criticized NAB for not presenting witnesses from the UK agency or providing sufficient documentation to substantiate the allegations. The legitimacy of a “secrecy deed” presented by NAB was also called into question, characterised as unverified and devoid of forensic validation.
Imran Khan’s petition emphasized that there was no evidence of personal financial gain, noting that the funds were deposited into the Al-Qadir University Trust, a legally registered educational entity. Bushra Bibi’s separate appeal echoed these points, asserting that the case against her was politically motivated and unsupported by credible evidence.
