£190m case: Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi witness Pervez Khattak’s testimony

RAWALPINDI: Former defence minister Pervez Khattak recorded his statement in court in the 190-million-pound reference filed against former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi.

Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Ali Waraich recorded the statement in Adiala jail in the presence of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi.

Pervez Khattak said in his statement that the National Accountability Bureau recorded his statement regarding 190 million pounds in May 2023. He mentioned that the investigation officer probing the reference stated there was a writing accompanying the cabinet agenda.

Khattak said that Shehzad Akbar had informed the cabinet that a large amount of money illegally sent out of Pakistan had been seized in the UK. Shehzad Akbar stated that the seized money would be returned to Pakistan.

The former federal minister told the court in his statement that this matter was not on the cabinet’s agenda; it was brought up as an additional agenda item in the meeting. He said that other cabinet members, including himself, objected to the additional agenda. The documents regarding the money were presented in a sealed envelope in the cabinet, and approval for the additional agenda was obtained from the cabinet.

Also read: Hearing of £190m case against Imran, Bushra adjourned until Tue

In today’s hearing, the cross-examination of one witness was completed, and the statement of another witness was recorded. The court adjourned the reference hearing until July 13.

It should be remembered that a few days ago, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Ali Amin Gandapur, while addressing a public rally in Mansehra, said that Pervez Khattak had been called as a witness against Imran Khan. He stated that if Pervez Khattak gave a statement against Imran Khan, he would not allow him to stay in the province.

Pervez Khattak responded to Gandapur’s statement, saying, “Ali Amin knows me, and I know Ali Amin well. Ali Amin Gandapur should not flare up things. NAB had sent me a notice and called me. I will not give a statement against anyone but will describe what happened in the cabinet at that time.”

The £190 million reference against Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, revolves around the Al-Qadir Trust case. This case originated when the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) seized £190 million from a Pakistani national in connection with money laundering. The funds, which were believed to be illegally transferred from Pakistan, were eventually repatriated to Pakistan but deposited into the Supreme Court’s account rather than the national treasury.

The controversy escalated in June 2022 after a leaked audio suggested that Farah Khan, a close associate of Bushra Bibi, demanded a more valuable diamond ring as a favour for protecting Malik Riaz, a prominent real estate tycoon, in the money laundering case.

Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were accused of accepting Rs5 billion and hundreds of kanals of land from Malik Riaz’s Bahria Town in exchange for settling the case.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) subsequently filed a reference against Imran Khan, Bushra Bibi, and others in 2023, alleging misuse of authority and financial gains.

The case included the donation of land for the Al-Qadir Trust, which had Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi as trustees, and raised concerns over the legality and ethics of the transactions involved.

In December 2023, the State Bank of Pakistan confirmed that 190 million pounds from the NCA had been received on account of a settlement with property tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain’s family.