ISLAMABAD:
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued notices to the prosecution (the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA)) on the acquittal petitions filed by former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana-II case and sought a response.
An IHC bench comprising Justice Inaam Ameen Minhas on Tuesday accepted the couple’s petitions seeking their acquittal in a case related to the alleged misuse of rules of the state gift repository, Toshakhana, to obtain a precious set of Bulgari jewelery presented as a gift by Saudi royals during Imran’s tenure as prime minister.
Presenting his arguments, Imran’s lawyer Salman Safdar said that a Toshakhana case had also been framed earlier and the Toshakhana-II trial was now in its final stages.
“In Toshakhana-I, my client was convicted, but an IHC division court stayed that sentence. The Toshakhana-II case was based on the same set of Bulgari watches; if it exists, please tell us,” he said.
Accusing the authorities of resorting to political victimization of his clients, he said that apart from the cipher case, my client was also convicted in the Toshakhana-I case. After Bushra Bibi was acquitted in an Iddat case, she was arrested again at gate number 5 of Adiala jail, he added.
He said there was hardly any agency in Islamabad that had not investigated the Toshakhana matter, adding that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) started the investigation, then the FIA took over and started its own investigation.
When the court asked if the case also involved abuse of authority, Safdar replied that everything was written in the record. “Judge Miangul [Hassan Aurangzeb, then an IHC judge] had granted bail to both the accused in this very case,” he added. The court directed Safdar to submit copies of all related court orders.
Safdar informed the court that 19 witnesses had recorded their statements so far before the court conducting the trial in the Toshakhana-II case. “There are a total of 35 witnesses. We are tired of hearing about Toshakhana again and again,” he added.
Safdar urged the court to stop the trial court from issuing its final judgment. The court adjourned the hearing and stated that it would investigate the matter. A written order would be issued later.
According to the charge sheet, Imran Khan abused his position as prime minister to acquire a set of Bulgari jewelry that the Saudi crown prince presented as a gift during the couple’s visit to Saudi Arabia between May 7 and 10, 2021.
The set included a ring, a bracelet, a necklace and a pair of earrings. According to evidence gathered during the investigation, Imran and Bushra illegally retained the device.
On May 18, 2021, the military undersecretary informed the Toshakhana section officer of the need to evaluate and declare the price of the gift, but it was not deposited.
Bulgari sold the necklace for 300,000 euros and the earrings for 80,000 euros to a Saudi franchise on May 25, 2018.
