Pakistan’s Ex-PM Imran Khan and Wife Bushra Bibi Convicted in Al-Qadir Trust Case

According to a report on Pakistan news, on Friday, January 17, 2025, a Pakistan court convicted and named Imran Khan, the former Premier of Pakistan, and Bushra Bibi as confined in prison for 14 and 7 years respectively, in the case of corruption involving 190 million pounds in the al-Qadir Trust.

The anti-corruption court judge Nasir Javed Rana read out the judgment today that was delayed thrice earlier for various causes, the last time being January 13.

He declared the verdict in Open court, which was held in Adila jail due to the pandemic situation. In addition to these jailing terms, Khan was fined Rs 1 million and Bushra Bibi half a million rupees. If the fine is not paid, then Khan will face six more months in prison and Bibi three months. The court also said that the land on which Al-Qadir University was constructed them be forfeited. Khan is already behind bar while Bushra was arrested in court.

What should have been a spark of hope today has unfortunately discredited the judiciary In this case, I gained nothing; the government, on the other hand, lost nothing. “I do not want any relief and I will handle all cases,” Khan was quoted in his party’s newspaper. NAB in December 2023 lodged the case against Khan (72), Bibi (50), and six others on allegations of embezzlement of 190 million pounds (PRs50 billion) from the national exchequer.

All other accused members in the case including a property tycoon have left the country only Khan and Bibi have been prosecuted.

The case is based on the claims that an amount of PRs50 billion which was repatriated to Pakistan by the UK’s National Crime Agency after receiving £102 million from the property tycoon as a result of a settlement was embezzled.

The said funds were believed to have been earmarked for the central state’s coffer; however, the laureate siphoned the monies for his own use to fund a university that Bibi and Khan partnered with a businessman to establish.

Bibi, as a trustee of the Al-Qadir Trust, is said to have benefitted from this settlement; especially in the purchase of 458 kanals of land for Al-Qadir University in Jhelum. The hearing on the case ended on December 18 and Judge Rana reserved his judgment for December 23. He set January 6 as the date for declaration of the verdict, reported Geo News.”

He was on his annual leave on January 6 so the verdict had to be moved to January 13. However, the verdict was once again adjourned out as none of the accused and their counsels were available in the court on January 13.

The verdict has emerged at a time when the government is in the process of holding talks with the PTI Khan to resolve the political unrest occasioned by the incarceration of Khan and other leaders of the party.

Until now three sessions have been conducted and the PTI has submitted its list of demands formally to the government.

Khan is currently defending himself in as many as possible cases after being removed as the prime minister in 2022.

He has been jailed since August 2023.