Bushra Bibi's non-bailable arrest warrants suspended in £190m case

RAWALPINDI: An accountability court in Rawalpindi suspended non-bailable arrest warrants for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi in £190 million case, ARY News reported.

This development came after Bushra Bibi appeared in court, where she and her husband Imran Khan recorded their statements under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code ¹.

The accountability court in Rawalpindi, presided over by Judge Nasir Javed Rana, suspended the non-bailable arrest warrants and adjourned the hearing until December 12.

During the hearing, Imran Khan informed the court that he intends to present witnesses in his defense, while Bushra Bibi stated that she does not wish to present any witnesses.

Earlier, the court ordered the arrest of Bushra Bibi in the 190 million pound reference and to present her at the next hearing of the court.

Read More: £190 million reference: Bushra Bibi expresses distrust on judge

The prosecutor raised the issue of absence of the accused saying that the court was assured of her presentation. The prosecutor also highlighted that response by the accused to 342-questionnaire remained pending.

It is important to mention here that  the Islamabad High Court (IHC) already granted bail to PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) settlement reference.

A two-member bench, comprising IHC CJ Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, reserved the verdict after the completion of arguments.

In its short order, the IHC ordered the authorities to release the PTI founder against the surety bond of Rs1 million.

NCA case

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had launched an investigation against Imran Khan and his wife and others for the alleged gain of hundreds of canals of land in the name of Al Qadir University Trust, which reportedly caused a loss of 190 million pounds to the national exchequer.

As per the charges, the former prime minister and others accused allegedly adjusted Rs50 billion — 190 million pounds at the time — sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the government.

The NAB filed a corruption reference against Imran and seven others, including his wife, in connection with the Al-Qadir University.

The PTI chief registered Trust for Al-Qadir University Project on Dec 26, 2019.