According to sources cited by Geo News, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has asked Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan to provide various records pertaining to the £190 million settlement case.
This request comes after Khan appeared at the NAB office in Rawalpindi for questioning by the anti-graft body’s combined investigation team. Khan informed the team that the records related to the settlement case are in the possession of the cabinet division, and he does not have access to the records of the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency. However, records of Al-Qadir Trust are already with the NAB. The team has also requested Khan to submit records of all university donors and his personal donations. Furthermore, the NAB team has sought records of the university’s affiliation with Punjab Higher Education and the trust deed between the trust and the company of all the accused.
During the interrogation, Khan was questioned about his correspondence with the National Crime Agency in the UK, and the NAB has also requested records of freezing orders related to the £190 million. Khan faced a delay in leaving the NAB premises as his car broke down and had to be fixed. Eventually, he left for Lahore in Babar Awan’s car.
In a written response to the NAB, Khan stated that the £190 million received from the NCA was in the Supreme Court’s account and that no personal benefit was derived from that amount. He vehemently denied the corruption allegations by the NAB and refuted claims that he or his wife had financially benefitted from Al-Qadir Trust. Khan asserted that the federal cabinet had unanimously made a decision regarding the amount in accordance with the law. He also mentioned the loss of a copy of the inquiry report during his arrest and requested another copy be sent to his residence.
In separate cases, Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were granted bail until June 8 and May 31, respectively. Khan’s bail was issued in eight terror cases by the anti-terrorism court (ATC), while Bushra Bibi’s bail plea was approved by an accountability court in the £190 million settlement case. The interim bail for Bushra Bibi required surety bonds worth Rs500,000.
The PTI chairman and his wife arrived at the judicial complex in Islamabad from Lahore to appear before the ATC and accountability court. The NAB had summoned Khan for an investigation related to the substantial £190 million settlement case. Previously, Khan had failed to appear at the NAB Rawalpindi office, citing his presence in Lahore and ongoing bail proceedings in multiple cases as reasons for his absence.
The case against Khan involves corruption charges amounting to billions of rupees, related to a settlement between the PTI government and a property tycoon, which allegedly caused a loss of £190 million to the national exchequer. Khan and other accused individuals are alleged to have adjusted Rs50 billion (equivalent to £190 million at the time) received from Britain’s National Crime Agency as part of the agreement with the property tycoon. They are also accused of acquiring over 458 kanals of land to establish Al-Qadir University, resulting in undue benefit.
During the PTI government, the National Crime Agency seized assets worth £190 million from the property tycoon in the UK, with the assets to be passed to the government of Pakistan. The settlement with the property tycoon was regarded as a civil matter by the agency and not a finding of guilt. The settlement was approved by Khan’s cabinet without disclosing the details of the agreement, and the money was subsequently submitted to the Supreme Court on behalf of the tycoon
