The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Wednesday dismissed an application filed by Bushra Bibi, wife of incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan, seeking suspension of her sentence in the £190 million case. A two-member bench headed by FCC Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan announced the decision, turning down the plea filed by the former prime minister's spouse.
An accountability court in Islamabad had sentenced Bushra to seven years' imprisonment and a Rs500,000 fine, while the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder was sentenced to 14 years' imprisonment and a Rs1 million fine in the case. The Al-Qadir Trust case, commonly known as the £190m case, stems from allegations that Imran and some others in 2019 adjusted Rs50 billion - amounting to £190 million at the time - sent by Britain's National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Pakistani government during his tenure as the country's prime minister.
The concerned amount relates to a property tycoon's assets, which were seized by the NCA during the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI)'s rule. The British crime agency back then had said that the amount was supposed to be passed to the government of Pakistan as its settlement with the Pakistani property tycoon was "a civil matter, and does not represent a finding of guilt".
However, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a reference in December 2023, followed by charges against the former premier and his spouse on 27 February 2024, alleging that a settlement with the British crime agency was reached and approved by then-prime minister Imran on 3 December 2019, without disclosing details of the confidential agreement.
During today's court proceedings, Barrister Salman Safdar represented the former first lady while Salman Akram Raja was also present in the courtroom. Safdar argued that courts had traditionally shown leniency towards women in such matters, saying Bushra had sought suspension of her sentence on the basis of her status as a woman.
The lawyer also criticised the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), alleging that its conduct over the past 13 months had been questionable. He said the bureau had sought adjournments on several hearing dates and had also opposed the application for suspension of the sentence.
Safdar maintained that after the conviction, legal grounds for granting Bushra bail had been established. He argued that the previous proceedings had remained focused largely on the appeal filed by the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder.
During the hearing, Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan cautioned the counsel against arguing the merits of the case at this stage, saying the case before the court concerns suspension of the sentence. Justice Baqar Najafi also asked how many times the main appeal had been scheduled for hearing.
The court subsequently concluded the hearing and directed Safdar to submit the points of his arguments in writing. This is a developing story and is being updated with further details.