ISLAMABAD (MNN); The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday imposed a fine of Rs100,000 on the National Accountability Bureau for employing what it termed “delaying tactics” in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust corruption case against former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf founder Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi.
The development came during a hearing of petitions seeking suspension of sentence and appeals against their convictions in the high-profile case. A division bench comprising Islamabad High Court Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif presided over the proceedings.
Earlier in the day, the National Accountability Bureau submitted a preliminary jurisdictional objection to the court, arguing that the application filed by Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi under Section 426 of the Criminal Procedure Code for suspension of sentence was premature.
According to the bureau, the main appeals against the convictions had not yet been formally admitted for regular hearing by the court. Citing legal precedents, the accountability watchdog argued that the phrase “pending appeal” in Section 426 of the Criminal Procedure Code refers only to an appeal that has been formally admitted for hearing. Until such admission, the court’s powers to suspend a sentence or issue interim relief do not come into effect.
During the hearing, the defence strongly contested the prosecution’s stance and raised concerns over access to their client and the pace of proceedings.
Barrister Aitzaz Ahsan, appearing for Imran Khan, informed the court that he had faced serious difficulties in obtaining a signed power of attorney from the incarcerated former prime minister. He said the document had been sent from Lahore but authorities insisted that the vakalatnama must carry Imran Khan’s signature obtained from jail.
Ahsan told the bench that access to his client had effectively been restricted for nearly four months, calling it a violation of constitutional rights. He urged the court to take action against the Adiala jail administration for obstructing the legal team’s access.
Chief Justice Sarfraz Dogar remarked that normally when a representative visits the jail, the superintendent facilitates obtaining the prisoner’s signatures. However, Barrister Salman Safdar told the court that despite repeated attempts over the past four months, the signed document had not been provided.
Barrister Salman Safdar also criticized the delay in hearing the appeals, saying that the petitions for suspension of sentence had been fixed after a gap of about 14 months. He emphasized that the defence was only seeking a hearing from the court and not a predetermined outcome.
Safdar further noted that the prosecution’s special prosecutor was not present in court. When the bench asked the National Accountability Bureau prosecutor Muhammad Rafay about the absence, he replied that the prosecution wanted the court to first decide the maintainability of their application and added that the special prosecutor was occupied with religious rituals.
The explanation displeased the bench, which expressed frustration over what it perceived as attempts to delay the proceedings.
Chief Justice Dogar also observed that the Supreme Court had already taken notice of Imran Khan’s health-related concerns, making the issue sub judice before the apex court.
During the arguments, Aitzaz Ahsan also referred to broader accountability issues, saying that accountability would not be established merely by the conviction of former intelligence chief Faiz Hameed. He said true accountability would be demonstrated when all officials responsible for violating the rights of civilians were held accountable under the law.
Safdar also referred to a previous decision of Chief Justice Dogar in which relief had been granted to a prisoner due to an eye infection, apparently highlighting Imran Khan’s reported eye ailment.
Frustrated by what it considered stalling tactics by the prosecution, the bench imposed a fine of Rs100,000 on the National Accountability Bureau.
At the conclusion of the hearing, the court issued notice on the bureau’s miscellaneous application challenging the maintainability of the suspension petitions and adjourned further proceedings. The anti-corruption body was directed to come prepared on the next hearing date.
Meanwhile, the defence team urged the court to decide the matter before the upcoming Eid holidays.
The appeals and suspension petitions have faced several procedural hurdles. Earlier, the Islamabad High Court registrar’s office had raised objections to the petitions, including unsigned pages and the absence of a certificate confirming the case was not pending before another forum.
On February 26, the court removed those objections and scheduled the March 11 hearing after defence lawyers sought an early date, citing Imran Khan’s reported eye condition.
Earlier, on the same day, another bench of the Islamabad High Court headed by Justice Inam Amin Minhas heard a petition filed by Dr Uzma Khan seeking the transfer of Imran Khan, founder of Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, to Shifa International Hospital for medical treatment.
During the proceedings, the registrar’s office raised certain objections to the petition. The petitioner’s counsel Uzair Bhandari requested time to address the objections and asked the court to fix the case next week.
Justice Inam Amin Minhas granted time to remove the objections and directed the registrar’s office to provide a report on how many similar petitions were currently pending before the court. The hearing was later adjourned.
The £190 million corruption reference, also known as the Al-Qadir Trust case, resulted in an accountability court in Islamabad sentencing Imran Khan to 14 years in prison and Bushra Bibi to seven years on January 17, 2025.
