The Islamabad High Court on Monday granted counsel for former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi two weeks to begin final arguments in their appeal against their conviction in the £190 million Al-Qadir corruption case.
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A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif also dismissed contempt of court petitions filed by the former first couple after observing that the relief sought had already been addressed.
The contempt petitions alleged that authorities at the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi had refused to allow lawyers to obtain Khan and Bibi's signatures on powers of attorney and other legal documents. However, the court observed that since the powers of attorney had now been signed, the contempt petitions became infructuous.
The bench then proceeded to hear the main appeals and directed the defence to commence arguments. Following submissions by Khan's counsel, the court agreed to grant the defence two weeks to begin final arguments challenging the convictions.
Khan's sister Aleema Khan and several leaders of his party were present during the hearing.
An accountability court in Islamabad had convicted Khan and Bushra Bibi on January 17 last year in the case filed by the national accountability bureau (NAB), Pakistan's anti-corruption body. Khan was sentenced to 14 years in prison, while Bibi was awarded a seven-year jail term.
The Al-Qadir case centres on allegations by the NAB that Khan's government in 2019 facilitated a deal with property tycoon Malik Riaz involving £190 million that had been seized by the UK's National Crime Agency and transferred to the Pakistan government to settle a penalty imposed by Pakistan's Supreme Court.
Investigators have alleged that more than 57 acres of land were later donated for the Al-Qadir university trust, chaired by Khan and Bushra Bibi.
The 73-year-old former cricketer-turned-politician has remained in jail since August 2023 in connection with multiple cases, including corruption, leaking state secrets and an unlawful marriage, all of which he has denied. The Islamabad High Court is expected to resume proceedings after the two-week period, when the defence will begin its final arguments against the convictions.
