Rawalpindi:
The verdict in the 190 million pound case has been postponed again today. The PTI founder and his wife did not appear at the hearing.
According to Express News, the accountability court has again postponed the verdict in the 190 million pounds reference case today in a hearing held at Adiala Jail. The case was heard by Accountability Court Judge Nasir Javed Rana.
Before the hearing, Accountability Court Judge Nasir Javed Rana reached Adiala Jail, while NAB Prosecutor Chaudhry Nazar, NAB legal team members Irfan Ahmed, Sohail Arif and Owais Arshad, staff of the Accountability Court Islamabad and lawyers of founding chairman PTI Imran Khan, Salman Akram Raja Advocate and others also reached the jail.
On this occasion, additional police personnel were deployed outside Adiala Jail, including lady police personnel and fresh contingents of the elite force. Similarly, security was put on high alert at Adiala Jail Gate No. 5 and government officials entering were also being searched.
In the hearing held at Adiala Jail, PTI founder Aleema Khan and Uzma Khan, sisters, also arrived at the court, however, Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi did not appear in court themselves, on which the court postponed the decision of the case, which will now be announced on January 17.
The judge remarked during the hearing that he sent a message to the founder of PTI twice but he did not come to the court. Bushra Bibi also did not come to the court. I reached the jail at exactly 8:30. Now it is 10:30, the accused and their lawyers are not present. The verdict is being postponed, which will now be announced on January 17.
Later, Imran Khan's wife Bushra Bibi arrived at Adiala Jail, but she left from outside without going inside.
It should be noted that the verdict in the 190 million pounds reference against the founder of PTI and Bushra Bibi was to be pronounced today in Adiala Jail, for which the accountability court staff had officially informed the lawyers of the founder of PTI. The founder of PTI, Khalid Yousuf Chaudhry, had confirmed that the staff of the accountability court, Islamabad, had officially informed that the verdict in the 190 million pounds reference would be pronounced today in Adiala Jail.
Earlier, the accountability court had postponed the decision in the 190 million pounds reference twice, the last hearing of the trial was held in Adiala Jail on December 18 last year. The decision was to be announced today in the presence of the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi, however, both did not appear today, on which the court postponed the decision for the third time today.
Earlier, the date for the verdict in the case was set for December 23, however, the court postponed the date for the verdict to January 6 and then set the date for the verdict in the case to January 13.
The jail trial of the 190 million pound reference was completed in a year, this is the only case against Imran Khan whose trial lasted for a year. NAB arrested Imran Khan on November 13, 2023, after interrogating Imran Khan in Adiala Jail for 17 days, the 190 million pound reference was filed in the accountability court on December 1, 2023.
The court indicted Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi on February 27, 2024. Statements of 35 witnesses were recorded today in the 190 million pound reference.
Former Principal Secretary Azam Khan, former Chief Minister Pervez Khattak, and former Federal Minister Zubaida Jalal also recorded their statements in the 190 million pound reference.
The judges changed 4 times in the 190 million pound reference. The hearing was first conducted by Judge Muhammad Bashir, then by Judge Nasir Javed Rana. After that, the reference came to Judge Muhammad Ali Warraich and then again to Judge Nasir Javed Rana.