PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi’s possible release from prison remained elusive on Saturday as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested both in a new Toshakhana reference hours after they were acquitted in the Iddat case, Aaj News reported.
The development comes hours after an Islamabad district and sessions court accepted appeals filed by former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi against their conviction in the Iddat case.
Toshakhana case: IHC suspends Imran, Bushra Bibi’s sentence
Additional district and sessions judge Afzal Majoka announced the reserved judgment today. The judge said, “If they are not wanted in any other case, then PTI founder Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi should be released [from jail] immediately.”
In April, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended the 14-year sentence handed out to former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana reference.
In January this year, accountability court Judge Muhammad Bashir sentenced the duo to 14 years in jail with rigorous punishment in the Toshakhana case.
The accountability court also disqualified Imran for 10 years while handing a fine of Rs787 million each.
PTI demands IK’s release in light of UN working group’s report
Following the verdict, Bushra arrived at Adiala Jail to surrender to the authorities. She was taken into custody by NAB.
Established in 1974, the Toshakhana is a department under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division and stores precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials by heads of other governments and states and foreign dignitaries.
Background
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a reference against Imran and his wife, saying that as former prime minister, Imran was presented with 108 gifted state assets, out of the same, 58 gifted state assets were retained by him.
He did not deposit the gifted state assets in Toshakhana for fair price assessment in contravention of rules and subsequently retained said gifted state items worth millions of rupees, NAB said.
The gifted state assets were retained without fair price assessment, NAB said, adding that, Imran sold/misappropriated some of the gifted state assets for personal benefit.
The NAB said investigation proceedings further revealed that Bushra being the wife of ex-PM, received gifts from foreign dignitaries amounting to millions of rupees and retained these gifts against a meager retention cost based on under-value assessment/appraisement.