NAB files corruption reference against Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi in £190 million settlement case

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a corruption reference in an accountability court against former prime minister Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi and six others in the £190 million settlement case on Friday.

As reported, NAB’s Deputy Prosecutor General Muzafar Abbasi, along with investigative officer Umar Nadeem, filed the reference in an accountability court in Islamabad.

In total 8 people have been named in the reference.

Apart from Imran Khan and his wife Bibi, PTI leaders Zulfi Bukhari, Shahzad Akbar, lawyer Barrister Zia-ul-Mustafa Nazeer and three others have been named in the reference.

The registrar’s office of the court is now examining the reference.

Read more: Here are the details of the Al-Qadir Trust case

According to the NAB officials, Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi obtained land worth billions of rupees from the property tycoon, to build an educational institute, in return for striking a deal to give legal cover to the property tycoon’s black money received from the UK crime agency.

The development comes days after the caretaker federal cabinet gave the go-ahead to conduct the jail trial of the PTI chairman in corruption cases.

“The federal government is pleased to accord approval that the accountability court concerned shall sit and conduct the trial of the accused (PTI chairman and former PM) and others in Central Prison, Adiala, with reference to the case regarding misuse of authority/ illegal sale of gifted state assets, etc. under Section 16(b) of NAB Ordinance, 1999,” the notification said.

Imran Khan, along with his wife Bushra Bibi and other PTI leaders, is facing a NAB inquiry related to a settlement between the PTI government and the property tycoon, which reportedly caused a loss of £190 million to the national exchequer.

As per the charges levelled against  Khan and others, the PTI leaders are accused of allegedly adjusted Rs50 billion, £190 million at the time, sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Pakistani government as part of the agreement with the property tycoon.

Furthermore, they are also accused of getting undue benefit in the form of over 458 canals of land at Mouza Bakrala, Sohawa, to establish Al Qadir University.