The Accountability Court of Islamabad announced its judgment in the Al-Qadir Trust case on Friday, convicting former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi. The court sentenced Khan to 14 years and Bibi to 7 years of rigorous imprisonment, respectively. Both convicts were also fined Rs1 million and Rs500,000, respectively. Failure to pay the fines will result in an additional six months of imprisonment for Imran and three months for Bibi.
The judgment was delivered by Accountability Court Judge Nasir Javed Rana at Adiala Jail. The court also ordered the forfeiture of the property of the Al-Qadir University Project Trust to the Federal Government, as per Section 10(a) of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999.
The verdict stated, “Both the convicts are present before the Court, and they should be taken into custody in this case and handed over to the Superintendent Jail along with the committal warrant to serve the sentences as awarded.”
The court also issued a detailed 148-page judgment, separating the case of the co-accused, who are proclaimed offenders. These accused persons include former Chairman of the Asset Recovery Unit (ARU) Mirza Shahzad Akbar, CEO of Bahria Town (Pvt) Ltd Malik Riaz Hussain, former expert on International Criminal Laws (ARU) Zia ul Mustafa Nasim, former trustee of Al-Qadir Trust Syed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari, Malik Riaz’s son Ahmed Ali Riaz, and trustee of Al-Qadir Trust Farhat Shahzadi.
The judgment emphasized that the prosecution’s case was substantiated by documentary evidence, which had been proven thoroughly. “Although some witnesses, including IO/PW-35, underwent lengthy and exhaustive cross-examination, their credibility was not shaken,” the verdict stated, adding that their testimony remained consistent and coherent.
However, the court noted, “There may be certain minor discrepancies and contradictions in the prosecution evidence, which are natural in white-collar crime cases.” The judgment concluded that despite the defense’s efforts, it failed to create any reasonable doubt that would undermine the prosecution’s case.
The court stated that Imran Khan, while serving as Prime Minister, received illegal monetary benefits from co-accused Malik Riaz Hussain, Ahmed Ali Riaz, and Bahria Town (Pvt) Ltd. This was in the form of 458 Kanals, 4 Marlas, and 58 sq. ft. of land, under the pretext of a donation to a non-existent trust, namely the Al-Qadir University Project Trust. The court ruled that Imran Khan illegally obtained this benefit when neither the Al-Qadir University Project Trust nor the university existed.
The court further concluded that Khan, in connivance with the co-accused, facilitated the illegal transfer of £171.159 million (GBP) out of £190 million (GBP), intended for the state of Pakistan, into an account designated for the payment of land costs by Bahria Town Karachi. This, the court determined, constituted a gross misuse of authority.
The judgment also noted that co-accused Mirza Shahzad Akbar, in collusion with Imran Khan, dishonestly circulated a note on 02.12.2019, misrepresenting that funds frozen in the UK were to be surrendered to the Supreme Court of Pakistan, even though these funds were actually meant to settle Bahria Town’s private liability.
The court found that during a cabinet meeting on 03.12.2019, Khan insisted on granting approval for paragraph 10 of the note, sealing the document without any prior circulation or discussion, in violation of the Rules of Business, 1973.
In exchange for these illegal favors to Malik Riaz, Ahmed Ali Riaz, and Bahria Town (Pvt) Ltd, Khan, under the guise of the Al-Qadir University Project Trust, which he founded and became the settlor of, dishonestly obtained significant monetary gains, property, and other advantages. These included a donation of approximately 458 Kanals of land, funds amounting to Rs285 million, the construction of the university building worth Rs284,032,000, and in-kind contributions to the Al-Qadir University Project Trust.
The court further determined that, in exchange for these favors, Khan illegally received 240 Kanals and 6 Marlas of land in Islamabad in July and October 2021 through Farhat Shehzadi, a front person for Khan and Bibi.
The prosecution also proved that Bushra Bibi, as a trustee of the Al-Qadir University Project Trust since its inception, played a significant role in these illegal activities. She acknowledged the receipt of property, pecuniary benefits, and other valuables from Malik Riaz Hussain through Bahria Town (Pvt) Ltd and assisted in the commission of crimes by signing the “Acknowledgement of Donation” deed on March 24, 2021. She was also a signatory to the joint account of the Al-Qadir University Project Trust, maintained at the HBL Civic Centre branch in Islamabad.