PTI reacts to postponement of verdict in £190 million case

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) reacted to the third postponement of a verdict in a £190 million case against party founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, ARY News reported.

Speaking to media, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said that Imran Khan wanted the verdict to be announced immediately, adding that he would have been acquitted today had the ‘justice’ was served.

Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said that according to the court staff, the verdict was initially scheduled to be announced at 11 am but the judge deferred it even before the scheduled time.

The PTI chairman said that the case is “political in nature” and that the verdict should be based on justice. He added that if the verdict were just, Imran Khan would have been acquitted.

“The trial court has been unfair in its proceedings against us,” Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said and accused the government of attempting to pressurise Imran Khan by involving Bushra Bibi in the case.

Speaking on the occasion, Salman Akram Raja denied rumors that the verdict’s deferment is due to ongoing negotiations. “We are not making any deals; we are negotiating for democracy and justice,” he added.

Earlier, an Accountability Court in Rawalpindi deferred for the third time its verdict in a £190m case against PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi.

Judge Nasir Javed Rana said that the verdict is deferred due to the absence of the accused Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi. The judge said that he arrived at the court at 8:30 am and sent two summons to Imran Khan to appear before the court; however, Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, failed to appear.

Judge Nasir Javed Rana said that the defence counsel also did not appear in court. Due to the absence of the accused and their lawyers, the court deferred the verdict.

The verdict in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case will now be delivered on January 17, announced Nasir Javed Rana. The judge has left from Adiala Jail after the hearing.