ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday imposed a fine of Rs100,000 on the National Accountability Bureau special prosecutor for adopting delaying tactics in proceedings related to the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case involving Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi.
The case was heard by a division bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif, which took up petitions filed by the PTI founder and his spouse seeking suspension of their sentences in the case.
The Al-Qadir Trust case centres on allegations that in 2019 the former premier and others adjusted Rs50 billion — equivalent to £190 million at the time — sent by the National Crime Agency to the government of Pakistan during Khan’s tenure as prime minister. The amount was linked to assets of a Pakistani property tycoon seized by the British agency.
Before the hearing, the anti-graft body submitted a miscellaneous application asking the court to declare the petitions seeking suspension of the sentences inadmissible, arguing that the main appeals against the convictions had not yet been fixed for hearing.
During the proceedings, defence lawyers Salman Safdar and Aitzaz Ahsan appeared on behalf of the PTI founder. Ahsan informed the bench that an unusual situation had arisen regarding the submission of his power of attorney.
He told the court that the document had been sent from Lahore but required the PTI founder’s signature. The bench had earlier directed authorities to obtain the signature from prison and submit it before the court.
Chief Justice Dogar observed that prison authorities generally facilitate such requests, but Safdar told the court that the defence had been unable to secure the signed authorisation for four months.
Safdar further argued that his client had not instructed him to seek relief on medical grounds and said he would submit certified copies of relevant Supreme Court of Pakistan rulings at the next hearing.
He also alleged that the prosecution was deliberately avoiding arguments and recalled that the PTI founder had been arrested from the Islamabad High Court premises.
During the hearing, NAB special prosecutor Rafay Maqsood maintained that the bureau had already filed a petition challenging the maintainability of the pleas, adding that the principle of fair trial under Article 10-A of the Constitution also applied to the prosecution.
The defence pressed the court to impose a penalty for repeated delays, while Ahsan requested daily hearings and said the defence was not seeking adjournment.
After hearing arguments from both sides, the bench imposed a fine of Rs100,000 on the NAB special prosecutor. The court also issued notice to the PTI founder on the bureau’s miscellaneous plea seeking to declare his petitions inadmissible and adjourned the hearing.