By Special Correspondent
ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has summoned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, on June 7 in connection with the investigation in the Al-Qadir University Trust case later re-titled as 190 million settlement case.
The case relates to the transfer of funds from UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) account to Pakistan. As per details, NAB Rawalpindi has summoned the former first lady to record her statement as a witness for being the trustee of the Al-Qadir University Trust. On the other hand, the former premier has been called by the combined investigation team (CIT) of the anti-graft watchdog.
According to the sources, the CIT was not satisfied with the PTI chairman’s reply he had submitted at the time of his last appearance before NAB, Rawalpindi, on May 23. They said that Khan had been directed to answer the questionnaire given to him on May 23, on June 7.
The law binds NAB to inform the one it summons whether he is being summoned as an accused or a witness to record the statement. Following the procedure, the NAB’s CIT has already recorded the statements of federal ministers in the previous government. The body has also asked for record of all the donations received by Al-Qadir University Trust and those who donated.
It may be noted that an accountability court had granted bail to the PTI head in the corruption case till June 19 after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) directed him to approach the relevant forum for bail. Meanwhile, the NAB officials had informed the court that Bushra Bibi’s arrest was not required in the case but she should cooperate with the NAB whenever summoned for investigations.
The case
The UK government, in 2019, uncovered a whopping £140m in an account owned by the son of a renowned Pakistani real estate tycoon, and his wife from 2018 to 2019. The NCA swiftly froze the funds, suspecting the criminal origins of the proceeds. Surprisingly, neither the individual nor his wife challenged the account freeze. Following proper legal procedures, the UK government returned the laundered funds to Pakistan’s government in 2019.
The case subsequently made its way to Pakistan’s federal cabinet on December 3, 2019 in a sealed envelope. The purpose of the presentation was to discuss the return of the funds, which would be channelled into an account overseen by the registrar of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. This particular account was associated with the recovery of a staggering Rs460bn from the same property tycoon in connection with fines imposed on a housing scheme in Karachi. The PTI chief allegedly approved the settlement without allowing his cabinet members to read the content of the settlement.
The allegations include that as part of the agreement to return the laundered money, the property tycoon offered a substantial compensation package that included the transfer of 458 Kanal, 4 Marla and 58 square feet of land in Jhelum, alongside cash amounting to Rs285 million, which was destined for the Al-Qadir Trust.
The trustees of Al-Qadir Trust included then-prime minister Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi and his senior advisers Babar Awan and Zulfiqar Bukhari. However, Awan and Bukhari’s positions were subsequently revoked on April 22, 2020.
