**ISLAMABAD: The incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman, Imran Khan, on Saturday, filed an acquittal plea before the Accountability Court in the £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) case against him and his wife following the Supreme Court judgment in NAB amendment case.
The Accountability Court judge Nasir Javed Rana hearing the £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) scam, commonly known as the Al Qadir Trust case, issued notices to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and sought arguments from both parties on September 10.**
Khan’s legal team filed the acquittal applications under the new NAB law along with the apex court’s judgment.
PTI founding chairman’s lawyer arguing before the court said that after the apex court judgment on the NAB amendment law, the Al Qadir Trust case cannot be framed.
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He said that the amendment made in the NAB law has provided protection to all federal cabinet decisions. After amendment in NAB law, the main question is that whether this case falls under the jurisdiction of this court or not, he said. The NAB prosecutor said that if this case falls under the jurisdiction of this court then it can hear this case.
We have not challenged the jurisdiction of this court, Khan’s lawyer said, adding that it is the prerogative of the court to decide about its jurisdiction.
The court after hearing the arguments took a break.
Resuming hearing after the break, the court issued notices to both the parties and adjourned the case till September 10.
Talking to reporters after the hearing at Adiala jail Rawalpindi, he said that the restoration of NAB amendment is way for destruction of the country. The country has been hijacked by the elites, he alleged, adding that a small elite have pardoned cases worth billions of rupees.
He said that amendment in the NAB law is against the constitution. Khan said that NAB should be made an independent institution through Supreme Judicial Council.
To a question, he said that he has not threatened NAB investigation officer (IO). I have just stated that after my release I will file cases against chairman NAB and IO, so that they do not make such kinds of false cases against anyone else. He said that they requested us to postpone August 22 public gathering and assured us that they would not create any hurdle in September 8 public gathering but they are creating hurdles for the upcoming Jalsa.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024