Why Malik Riaz Not Questioned In Al-Qadir Trust Case: Imran Asks NAB

Why Malik Riaz Not Questioned In Al-Qadir Trust Case: Imran Asks NAB
Former prime minister Imran Khan has questioned the validity of the investigation by pointing out the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) failure to take action against Bahria Town owner Malik Riaz.

Imran Khan is currently the subject of proceedings before the accountability watchdog in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case.

In response to a call-up, Khan made these comments when he and his wife, Bushra Bibi, entered the Al Qadir Trust case hearings at the NAB Rawalpindi office. In a written response, Khan also placed the blame for the covert arrangement with the real estate mogul on his former accountability assistant, Shahzad Akbar.

The response said that the claim that the recovered sum of £190 million was not put in the national treasury was untrue. At its office, the NAB interrogated Khan for almost four hours before asking him to bring records to the next hearing. According to sources, NAB authorities also reportedly found Khan's response to be "unsatisfactory".

Khan said, "The money received from the UK was deposited after conversion into PKR in the account maintained in the name of the Registrar Supreme Court of Pakistan. It is strange that, up to this point, you don't appear to have taken any punitive actions against the owners of Bahria Town or applied to the Honourable Supreme Court of Pakistan for the recovery of the said amount on the grounds that it is illegitimate money, if the amount transferred constitutes an "illegitimate amount" and that Bahria Town is the beneficiary."

He said that because he was unaware of the agreement reached between Malik Riaz and the National Crime Agency (NCA), he relied on Shahzad Akbar's briefing that "the amount was to be repatriated to Pakistan against the liability of respondents [Bahria Town]."

Accountability judge Mohammad Bashir granted pre-arrest interim bail to Khan in this case until May 31. Lawyer Khawaja Haris informed the court that Bushra Bibi also sought bail in this case.