IHC approves Imran Khan’s bail plea in £190m corruption case

Islamabad: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Wednesday approved Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaaf (PTI) founder and former prime minister Imran Khan’s bail application in the 190 million pound corruption case.

A two-member bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, who had reserved the verdict a day ago, announced the verdict.

The development came a day after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecution team and Sardar Latif Khan Khosa, the counsel for Imran, concluded arguments.

The court, its short order today, ordered the authorities to release the PTI founder against the surety bond of Rs1m.

The court set bail at Rs1 million. Imran will not be released from prison as he is still serving out his sentences in the cipher case, two separate Toshakhana cases and the iddat case.

In his concluding arguments in Tuesday’s court hearing, NAB Special Prosecutor Amjad Pervaiz had informed the court that the trial of the ex-premier and his spouse was about to conclude.

What is Al-Qadir University Trust case

The NAB launched an inquiry into the Al-Qadir University Trust case - now called the £190 million reference - in March 2023, before turning it into an investigation on April 28.

A Rawalpindi accountability court had indicted the former premier and his wife Bushra Bibi in the case in February this year. The case alleges that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi obtained billions of rupees and land worth hundreds of kanals from Bahria Town Ltd for legalising Rs50 billion that was identified and returned to the country by the UK during the previous PTI government.

In May last year, a heavy contingent of Rangers arrested the PTI chief in the case at the IHC premises where he was seeking bail in multiple FIRs registered against him.

Later, the IHC declared Imran’s arrest on the court’s premises “legal”.