Written verdict finds both guilty of criminal breach of trust and PTI leaders vow to act
Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi. Photo: Archive
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have been convicted in the Toshakhana 2 case. A written verdict presented on Saturday found both guilty of criminal breach of trust.
Khan has been sentenced to 10 years in prison under section 409 of the Pakistan Penal Code and a further 7 years under the Anti-Corruption Act. Bushra Bibi has been sentenced to 17 years in prison. Both have been fined Rs 164,25,650 each, with an additional six months’ imprisonment in case of non-payment.
According to the written verdict, the prosecution managed to prove its case against both accused, awarding him the minimum sentence taking into account Khan’s advanced age and the fact that Bushra Bibi was a woman. The time spent in custody also counts towards the sentence.
the case
The defendants are accused of illegally retaining a set of Bulgari jewelry gifted by the Saudi Crown Prince during his visit to Saudi Arabia from July 7 to 10, 2021. The couple’s stance is that they kept the gifts after paying half their value.
According to FIA records, the total value of the jewelery set, which included a necklace, bracelet, ring and earrings, was over Rs 70 million. The FIA, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, obtained a Letter of Mutual Legal Assistance from the Italian company Bulgari and presented a letter with the original price to the court.
However, a private company assessed the price of the game to the accused at only Rs 5.9 million, and the gift was not deposited in the Toshakhana, the state depository, as required. The valuation was reportedly carried out through private valuer Sohail Abbasi and then through the customs authorities. According to Abbasi, Khan’s private secretary, Inamullah Shah, exerted pressure to reduce the valuation.
On July 13, 2024, the National Accountability Bureau arrested Khan and Bushra Bibi from Adiala Jail. They remained in NAB custody for 37 days. After the Supreme Court reinstated the NAB amendments on September 9, the Accountability Court transferred the case to the FIA court.
The trial began on September 16, 2024, and Special Judge (Central) Shahrukh Arjumand conducted the first hearing in Adiala Jail. Bushra Bibi was granted bail by the Islamabad High Court on October 23 and was released the next day. The court also granted bail to Khan on November 20; however, charges were formally filed on December 12.
The trial continued for approximately a year with over 80 hearings held and 20 witnesses presented. Key witnesses included former military secretary Brigadier (retd) Muhammad Ahmed, Sohail Abbasi and Inamullah Shah.
On behalf of the state, federal prosecutor Zulfiqar Abbas Naqvi, lawyer Umair Majid Malik, Bilal Butt and Shahvez Gilani continued the case. Khan and Bushra Bibi’s case was argued by their lawyers Arshad Tabraiz, Qausain Faisal Mufti and lawyer Salman Safdar.
PTI cries badly
Speaking to the media outside Adiala jail, Safdar said the legal team was informed at 8 pm on Friday that the procedure would be carried out at 9 am on Saturday. He said that on October 16 the judge adjourned the case and set today the date for arguments, not the verdict. “The judge did something illegal, it was announced in the absence of lawyers,” he said, adding that the judge presented a 59-page written decision.
He said Khan ordered him to file an appeal before the High Court.
PTI leader Salman Akram Raja argued that “there is an order that during the hearing, the presence of family members is mandatory,” adding that as part of the legal team, they have the right to be present during the hearing.
Regarding the case itself, Raja said there is nothing substantial. “These are frivolous cases built on the weakest testimony, they have no witness except the person whom the PTI founder himself dismissed,” he said.
Khan’s sister, Aleema Khan, argued that the injustice has been going on for two and a half years. “We were in Lahore, there was fog and they announced the decision knowingly. A kilometer before here a barricade was erected from both sides,” he said.
He added that Khan has ordered Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Chief Minister Sohail Afridi to prepare for a street movement.
Meanwhile, KP Special Assistant on Information and Public Relations Shafi Jan issued a statement calling the case “fabricated, false and baseless.” He added that “Imran Khan is not being given access to his lawyers, sentencing him in these circumstances is a mockery of justice.”
Jan said PTI will decide its course of action after consulting legal experts on the verdict.
