Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have been sentenced to 14, 14 years in prison with hard labor in the Tosha Khana case.
The two convicts have also been disqualified from holding any public office for 10 years.
The court has also awarded a fine of Rs 78 crore 70 lakh along with the sentence.
Under Section 342 of the NAB Act, 27 questions were given to Imran Khan and 25 to Bushra Bibi.
Final arguments were held after the 342 statements of both the accused were recorded, after which Judge Muhammad Bashir of the Accountability Court pronounced the verdict on Wednesday morning.
In the previous hearing, Bushra Bibi had submitted answers to 25 questions of 342 statements, while the court had yesterday directed the founder PTI to submit answers to 27 questions on 342 statements.
Bushra Bibi did not appear in the hearing today, while lawyers Safai sought time from the court, which was rejected by the court.
What was the Tosha Khana disqualification reference decision?
On October 21, 2022, a five-member bench of the Election Commission had pronounced the Tosha Khana disqualification reference against Imran Khan, stating that the founder chairman of Tehreek-e-Insaf has deliberately violated the Election Act 2017.
The Election Commission had disqualified Imran Khan under Article 63 (one) (p) for submitting a false statement.
The judgment said that Imran Khan had submitted a false statement, violating Section 137 (submission of details of assets and liabilities), Section 167 (corrupt practice) and Section 173 (submission of false statement and declaration) of the Election Act 2017. is, and thus they are guilty of corrupt practice under the relevant sections of the Election Act.
The judgment further said that Imran Khan deliberately concealed the facts by not declaring the gifts received from Tosha Khana as assets.
The Election Commission of Pakistan had recommended criminal action against Imran Khan in the decision.
Who filed the Tosha Khana reference?
On August 4, 2022, Pakistan Muslim League-N leader Mohsin Nawaz Ranjha approached the Speaker National Assembly for not sharing the details of the Tosha Khana case against Imran Khan with the signatures of the legal experts of the ruling alliance Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM). A reference was filed under Articles 62 and 63 of Pakistan.
The reference also alleged that government gifts were sold abroad, while all the documentary evidence was also submitted along with the reference.
Tosha Khana Charge Sheet
The Tosha Khana charge sheet stated that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi received 108 gifts from various heads of state during their tenure as prime ministers. The accused kept 58 valuable gifts out of 108 gifts.
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After which Chairman NAB gave orders to start investigation in Tosha Khana reference. It was further informed that out of 108 gifts, Bushra Bibi kept 58 gifts worth Rs 14 crore.
Imran Khan kept the jewelry set received from the Saudi Crown Prince for a very small amount of money. According to the Tosha Khana rules, all gifts must be reported to the Tosha Khana. In the investigation, it has been found that Bushra Bibi received a jewelry set as a gift from the Saudi Crown Prince. Jewelery set was reported to Tosha Khana by Military Secretary but not submitted. Bushra Bibi and Imran Khan have violated Tosha Khana rules.
According to the charge sheet, ‘Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi misused their powers and imposed arbitrary prices on the gifts. Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi paid Rs 90 lakh for a jewelery set. According to the investigation, the price charged to the private individual was much lower than the actual price. An expert in Dubai was also contacted to estimate the cost of the jewelery set.’
“Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi caused a loss of 1573 million rupees to the national treasury. Therefore, a trial should be initiated against the accused in the light of all the required evidence, documentary evidence and inquiry report.
NAB witnesses in Tosha Khana reference
According to the list of NAB witnesses in the Tosha Khana reference, NAB was supposed to present 20 witnesses against Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, but NAB produced 16 witnesses after impeaching four witnesses.
The list of witnesses also includes an affidavit. Sohaib Abbasi, the private appraiser of the gift, will appear as a sworn witness. Apart from this, the Prime Minister’s Military Secretary and Deputy MS are also among the witnesses. Deputy Consulate General Dubai Rahimullah, Section Officers of Tosha Khana, Assistant Secretary Protocol of PM Office Zahid Sarfraz are also among the NAB witnesses.
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