ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court on Thursday formally indicted former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan along with his wife Bushra Bibi in another graft case related to the state gifts.
The indictment comes a week after the PTI founder and other party leaders were charged by an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) in a case of attacking the military headquarters in Rawalpindi on May 9, 2023.
While Imran Khan was granted bail in the case by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) last month, he still remains in jail on multiple charges since his arrest on August 5 last year.
An Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) judge Shahrukh Arjumand conducted the hearing and read the charges against the respondents, marking the official start of the legal proceedings. The case was adjourned following the indictment.
This is the third graft reference against the PTI founder and his wife concerning the purchase of an expensive Bulgari jewellery set at a throwaway price. Both Imran and Bushra denied the charges.
The court summoned the prosecution witnesses on December 18 to record their statements.
This is the seventh indictment against Imran the previous being on May 10, 2023, in the first state gifts case; in January in a second case pertaining to state gifts; in February in the £190 million corruption case; and recently over the army headquarters attack. It may be recalled that his sentences in the previous two state gifs cases were suspended.
He was also indicted on Dec 13, 2023 in the cipher case and in January in the unlawful marriage case, however, both the suspects were later acquitted.
On the other hand, Imran and Bushra Bibi’s trial in the £190 million case has reached its final stage, as the couple will be testifying before an accountability court this week.
In the most recent case, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) accused the couple of illegally retaining an expensive Bulgari jewellery set which includes a ring, bracelet, necklace, and earrings, gifted by a foreign leader at a low price.
The estimated value of the set was approximately Rs70.56 million at the time, with the national exchequer reportedly suffering a loss of around Rs30.28 million due to undervaluation.
Last month, Imran’s counsel dismissed the allegations, stating that the gifts were acquired under the 2018 state gifts policy, with payments made in accordance with valuations by customs and appraisers.
