ISLAMABAD: An accountability court Sunday approved eight-day physical remand of the PTI founder chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi on NAB’s plea in the new Toshakhana reference case. The court has ordered their reappearance on July 22. The order comes less than a day after the couple were acquitted in the iddat case. However, their release was forestalled, as the National Accountability Bureau arrested them in a new Toshakhana reference.
Additional Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka had a day earlier nixed the couple’s conviction in the iddat case in which they were handed out seven years in prison and a fine of Rs500,000 each.
However, soon after the verdict overturning their conviction, a team of anti-corruption watchdog, headed by Deputy Director Mohsin Haroon, arrested the couple from the Adiala jail in the new reference related to alleged “misuse of power for acquiring Toshakhana gifts”.
The PTI, after securing a key legal victory after a 13-member Supreme Court bench declared the party eligible for allocation of reserved seats, was looking forward to their founder’s release.
Accountability court Judge Muhammad Ali Warraich Sunday directed the NAB to interrogate the two suspects in Adiala jail and also ordered their production before the court on July 22.
Speaking to the media, Khan’s lawyer Zaheer Abbas Chaudhary said the NAB had requested a 14-day physical remand of the former ruling couple. Chaudhary said they opposed the physical remand, pleading that they were busy with the £190 million reference.
The lawyer said the ex-premier and his wife’s arrest was against the law, adding that their petition seeking bail was already being heard in the Supreme Court.
Khan has been behind bars since August last year after he was sentenced in the Toshakhana criminal case and subsequently sentenced in other cases ahead of the February 8 elections.
Meanwhile, Imran Khan was arrested in the May 9 cases registered in Lahore. A 12-member team of Lahore police investigated him in the jail, Geo News said, quoting sources.
Eleven investigating inspectors were included in the police team headed by DSP Ahmed Usman. The team questioned the PTI founder on the incidents of May 9 and 10, including Jinnah House, Askari Tower and Shadman police station attack cases, in the light of digital evidence and statements of the arrested accused. On Monday, the PTI founder will appear in anti-terrorism court of Lahore on video link and his remand would be requested for investigations in the Jinnah House attack. Police sources have said that a total of 16 cases had been registered against Imran Khan, and he was on bail in four cases.
