FCC rejects Bushra Bibi’s plea for suspension of sentence in £190m case

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Constitutional Court (FCC) on Wednesday rejected former first lady Bushra Bibi’s application seeking suspension of her sentence in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case.

A two-member bench comprising Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan and Justice Ali Baqar Najafi announced the reserved verdict after hearing arguments from Bushra Bibi’s counsel, Barrister Salman Safdar. Senior PTI lawyer Salman Akram Raja was also present in the courtroom.

The court declared the application inadmissible and subsequently issued a written order.

During the hearing, Safdar argued that courts had traditionally taken a lenient view in cases involving women. He also questioned the National Accountability Bureau’s conduct during the proceedings, alleging that it had sought adjournments on several occasions over the preceding 13 months and had opposed the application for suspension of the sentence.

The counsel argued that Bushra Bibi had a legal basis to seek relief following her conviction, adding that her application was based on her status as a woman and the medical complications she faced. He also submitted that greater attention had been directed towards the appeal of her husband, former prime minister Imran Khan.

Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan observed that the court was not examining the merits of the case at that stage, as the matter before it concerned only the application for suspension of the sentence.

Justice Ali Baqar Najafi asked how many times the main appeal had been fixed for hearing.

After completing the arguments, the court reserved its decision before rejecting the application.

Plea cited medical complications

Bushra Bibi approached the FCC in July, seeking suspension of her sentence in the Al-Qadir Trust case.

In her criminal appeal, she argued that relief was warranted in view of her gender and complex medical problems.

On October 6, her counsel filed an application seeking an early hearing, citing what he described as rapidly worsening complications affecting her eyes and a potential threat to her remaining vision.

The latest application sought suspension of her sentence while the main appeal against her conviction remained pending.

Background of the Al-Qadir Trust case

On January 17, 2025, an accountability court sentenced Imran Khan to 14 years in prison and Bushra Bibi to seven years in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case. The court also imposed fines of Rs1 million on Khan and Rs500,000 on Bushra Bibi and ordered the government to take control of Al-Qadir University.

The case concerns allegations that the former prime minister and his wife received benefits in connection with the settlement of funds returned to Pakistan by the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency.

The National Accountability Bureau alleged that the settlement, involving approximately £190 million, was structured in a way that benefited a property tycoon and that the former prime minister’s government facilitated the adjustment of the funds against liabilities owed to the state.

Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi have denied wrongdoing and challenged their convictions.

In May 2026, the Islamabad High Court disposed of applications filed by Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi seeking suspension of their sentences, citing the pendency of their main appeals. Bushra Bibi subsequently approached the Federal Constitutional Court for relief.

The rejection of her latest application does not, by itself, determine the outcome of her main appeal against the conviction.