£190m case enters final stages with cross-examination of last witness

RAWALPINDI: In the Al-Qadir Trust reference, lawyers for former premier Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi completed the cross-examination of the last and 35th witness at Adiala jail on Wednesday, taking the reference conclusion to the final stage.

Judge Nasir Javed Rana of the Special Accountability Court heard the case, based on £190 million financial scandal against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and his wife. After the cross-examination process was completed, the court adjourned the hearing till Nov 8. Questionnaires would be given to the accused to record their statements under Section 342 on a future date.

On Wednesday, Imran was presented in the court, while Bushra Bibi also reached the Adiala jail for the hearing. Lawyers for the accused, Zaheer Abbas and Usman Gul, completed the cross-examination of reference investigator and the last witness of NAB, after which the reference entered the final stage.

After cross-examination of a total of 35 witnesses in the reference, the NAB lawyers said that they did not want to present any further evidence. The court fixed Nov 8 for recording the statement of the accused under Section 342.

Cross-examination of the last witness began on July 30 and continued for 20 hearings over three months. Also, Bushra Bibi’s lawyer, Usman Gul, completed the cross-examination in 14 hearings.