Islamabad: Pakistan’s top anti-corruption body on Monday informed a court that it would not pursue the Toshakhan 2 corruption case against jailed former prime minister Imran Khan after the recent verdict by the country’s top court.
The Supreme Court last week reinstated the amendments in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) rules to restrict its mandate to only prosecute cases involving more than Rs50 billions of alleged corruption.
The Toshakhana 2 case filed this year by NAB against Khan, 71, and his wife Bushra Bibi, 50, is based on charges that they kept several precious gifts with them instead of depositing the same in the state depository.
The charges also said the couple sold the same for profit, causing about Rs13 billion loss to the exchequer.
During the hearing of the case at the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi where Khan and Bibi have been incarcerated, the NAB prosecutor told the court that the anti-corruption watchdog cannot pursue the case after the top court’s judgment.
Judge Muhammad Ali Warraich after hearing arguments transferred the case to the court of Special Judge Central of Islamabad where it would be pursued by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), another national body tasked to deal with corruption.
However, it is a relief to the former first couple as the NAB laws are quite stringent compared to the normal laws dealing with the jurisdiction of the FIA.
The court also refused to hear their bail application, saying the new court would hear the petition and decide it on merit.
Khan has been incarcerated in the Adiala Jail and faces a slew of cases since the dismissal of his government in April 2022 through a no-confidence motion.
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