Court rules FIA failed to prove charges; The procedures started in 2022 come to an end.
Six acquitted of DSP murder. / PHOTO: EXPRESS
LAHORE:
A Lahore banking court acquitted close associates of the PTI founder, ending a foreign funding case launched by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) in 2022.
Banking Court 2 announced the verdict after hearing final arguments, acquitting Hamid Zaman, Tariq Shafi and Asad Kakakhel.
The court ruled that the prosecution had not substantiated the accusations made against the accused.
Defense lawyer Mian Ali Ashfaq, representing the defendant, argued that the case lacked credible evidence and that the prosecution had failed to establish any illegal foreign financing. He maintained that the charges were based on assumptions rather than documented evidence.
According to the prosecution file, the FIA had registered the case in 2022, alleging that the accused were involved in receiving and managing foreign funds for Insaf Trust in violation of relevant laws.
The agency subsequently filed an appeal before the banking court.
After examining the record and hearing arguments from both sides, the court ruled in favor of the defendants and ordered their acquittal, effectively closing the case.
Meanwhile, a district court in Lahore reserved its verdict on an application filed by Punjab Information Minister Azma Bukhari in a separate case related to alleged circulation of a fake video on social media.
The case is being pursued against social media activist Falak Javed and others, accused of making a fake video viral online.
During the proceedings, Azma Bukhari requested the court to record her statement at the conclusion of the trial, arguing that the statements of the prosecution witnesses should be recorded first.
However, the defense objected to the plea, maintaining that according to the law, the plaintiff’s statement must be recorded first.
Defense lawyer Rana Maroof Advocate requested the court to summon Azma Bukhari in the next hearing to record her statement and requested that her application be dismissed.
After hearing the arguments, the court reserved its decision on the application.
