In another blow to Imran Khan's political standing ahead of general elections, Pakistan's anti-corruption court indicted the imprisoned former prime minister and his wife in the Toshakhana graft case, filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The hearing took place in Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, where Khan is currently detained.
Facing charges related to undervaluing and retaining gifts, Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, pleaded not guilty. The case alleges that the couple received 108 gifts from various heads of state, of which they kept 58 without depositing them in the Toshakhana (treasure house) at the mandatory price to the state. Gifts included a jewelry set from the Saudi Crown Prince, which was allegedly undervalued by the couple.
Under Toshakhana rules, government officials can retain gifts by paying a specified price after depositing them. However, in this case, the former prime minister and his wife are accused of either failing to deposit the gifts or obtaining them at a lower price through their alleged misuse of authority.
This Toshakhana case differs from another in which Khan was disqualified by the Election Commission of Pakistan for hiding the proceeds from the sale of state gifts. The same court also postponed the indictment in the Al-Qadir Trust case, involving allegations of corruption amounting to about Rs60 billion, against the former first couple. The court cited that Bibi had not received a copy of the case, which was handed over to her on its orders.
In a separate development, the court rejected Khan's bail petition in the Al-Qadir Trust case, where he is accused of failing to deposit £190 million from the British government, allowing a property tycoon to use it to offset fines. Bibi had previously secured pre-arrest bail in the same case. The case involves various co-accused, including property developer Malik Riaz Hussain and his son Ali Riaz, among others, who were declared absconders by the accountability court. Permanent arrest warrants were issued, and assets and bank accounts were ordered frozen.
(With Agency Inputs)
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