RAWALPINDI:
Former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi filed their pleas under Section 342 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC) in a case related to alleged violation of state gift deposit rules by the couple during Imran’s tenure as Prime Minister.
In his statement, Imran has questioned whether simply failing to report a gift under the Toshakhana (gift repository) policy 2018 could warrant legal action.
He said that Toshakhana’s gift, a Bulgari jewelry set, was received between May 7 and 10, 2021 during his visit to Saudi Arabia and that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) later turned this into a case, accusing him and his wife of misusing the gift rule to obtain the set.
He said the rules were completely silent on the jurisdiction of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and therefore, on that basis, he and his wife should be acquitted in the “false case”.
Imran alleged that fabricated cases had been filed against him since November 2022. He claimed that Inamullah Shah, the main prosecution witness, could not be trusted for several reasons.
He said Shah had been removed from the Prime Minister’s Office for collecting two salaries dishonestly and was working as part of Jahangir Tareen’s group.
According to the statement, when Inamullah Shah appeared as a witness in the first NAB reference, he never mentioned the Bulgari jewelery set.
In her statement, Bushra Bibi said she had kept the Bulgari jewelry set after paying for it as per Toshakhana rules. He denied having given instructions to Inamullah Shah to underestimate the outfit and clarified that he had worked first in the PTI Secretariat and then in the Prime Minister House.
Bushra Bibi claimed that even if hypothetically Inamullah Shah undervalued the whole and gave him a profit of Rs 3.2 billion in May 2021, then why was he fired just two months later in July 2021 simply for taking Rs 70,000 additional salary.
He said the prosecution’s case collapses because the facts are incorrect. He argued that NAB has no jurisdiction and that a price estimate from Italy cannot be accepted as admissible evidence.
He further claimed that the NAB chairman had no authority to grant pardon to approver Sohaib Abbasi on May 23, 2024, and that the allegation of sending a message through Inamullah Shah to undervalue the jewelery set was false.
Bushra Bibi said the FIA never carried out an investigation and violated its own rules by submitting a fabricated report. He also noted that in the first Toshakhana case, witnesses Inamullah Shah and Sohaib Abbasi never mentioned the Bulgari group.
Bushra, who declared herself a “pardah-nasheen”, said she had never participated in any political activity and had never ordered anyone to underestimate the jewelery set. He added that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had already stated in its order that the FIA had no jurisdiction to pursue such a case.
“No one can be punished twice for the same violation, as is done in the Toshakhana cases. After finding nothing in the prohibited financing and encryption cases, the FIA has created this case.”
The court had earlier given a 29-item questionnaire under Section 342 to both the PTI founder and his wife, who submitted their statements before the court on Friday.
According to the FIA, Imran misused his position to acquire the jewelry set that the Saudi crown prince presented as a gift during the couple’s visit to Saudi Arabia in May 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. However, the price of the bracelet and ring could not be determined.
As of May 28, 2021, the total estimated value of the Bulgari jewelry set was approximately Rs 75,661,600. The necklace alone was valued at Rs 56,496,000 and the earrings at Rs 15,065,600.
As per Toshakhana rules, 50% of the price would be equivalent to Rs 35,765,800, but the jewelery set was undervalued, resulting in a loss of Rs 32,851,300 to the national exchequer, the FIA claimed.
