In a major development, Bushra Bibi – wife of former premier and PTI Chairman Imran Khan – has secured a pre-arrest bail in the Al-Qadir Trust case from an accountability court in Islamabad.
According to the details, Judge Muhammad Bashir presided over the proceedings. He approved the former first lady’s bail till May 31 and directed her to submit a surety bond of Rs 500,000. He also took her signatures to ensure the submission of surety bonds, before issuing a notice to the investigation officer (IO).
It is pertinent to mention here that earlier Lahore High Court (LHC) had granted security bail to Bushra Bibi till May 23 in the Al-Qadir Trust case and directed Bushra Bibi to approach the relevant court by the due date.
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Bushra Bibi had reached the Islamabad judicial complex with Imran Khan ahead of his appearance before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) at its Rawalpindi office in the £190 million settlement case.
Enhanced security measures have been implemented at the judicial complex and the NAB office in anticipation of the arrival of the PTI chief, with a significant police presence deployed to effectively address any unforeseen incidents.
It is worth mentioning that the former prime minister, who was removed from office through a vote of no-confidence in April last year, has indicated the likelihood of being re-arrested today.
🚨 Interim bail granted to Bushra Bibi till May 31 in Al-Qadir Trust case🙌🏻
— Samar Tahir (@SamarTahirPTI) May 23, 2023
Al-Qadir Trust case
Last June, the PDM coalition government alleged that Imran Khan and his wife obtained land worth billions of rupees for their trust from, Malik Riaz, a major property tycoon in Pakistan, to build an educational institute.
The NAB has alleged that Khan’s PTI government struck a deal that caused a loss of more than $239m to the national exchequer, in a quid pro quid arrangement with the real estate businessman.
Read more: Malik Riaz denounces leaked audio as ‘fabricated’
In December 2019, the property tycoon had agreed to hand over assets, including properties worth $239m, to United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency in an investigation related to “dirty money”.