Verdict in £190m Al-Qadir Trust Case Deferred for Third Time
Rawalpindi – An Accountability Court in Rawalpindi has once again deferred its verdict in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case involving Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi. This marks the third delay in the judgment, initially reserved on December 18, 2023.
Judge Nasir Javed Rana, presiding over the case, announced the deferral citing the absence of both the accused and their defence counsel. Despite arriving at the court at 8:30 a.m. and issuing two summons to Imran Khan, neither he nor Bushra Bibi appeared. The defence counsel also failed to attend the hearing.
Following this development, the court has rescheduled the verdict announcement for January 17. Judge Nasir Javed Rana, who conducted the hearing at Adiala Jail, departed after the proceedings.
The case, which took nearly a year of hearings to complete, involves allegations of corruption tied to the establishment of Al-Qadir University Trust. The prosecution and defence concluded their arguments prior to the verdict being reserved.
Background of the Al-Qadir Trust Case
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) initiated an investigation into Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi, and others for alleged misuse of public funds and illicit gains of land for the Al-Qadir University Trust. The case alleges a loss of £190 million (Rs. 50 billion) to Pakistan’s national exchequer.
According to the charges, the accused allegedly misappropriated funds returned by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Government of Pakistan. The Al-Qadir University Trust was registered on December 26, 2019, during Imran Khan’s tenure as Prime Minister.
The NAB subsequently filed a corruption reference against Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi, and seven others, accusing them of exploiting the funds and gaining land for personal benefit under the guise of the university project.
