An accountability court in Rawalpindi on Monday postponed the announcement of its verdict for the third time in the £190 million case involving former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi.
Judge Nasir Javed Rana attributed the delay to the absence of both the accused and their legal teams. Despite arriving at the court at 8:30 a.m. and issuing two summons for Imran Khan, neither he nor Bushra Bibi appeared in court.
The National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) prosecution team, along with the media and court staff, were present, but no defense representatives attended. Due to this, the judge decided to defer the verdict, rescheduling it for January 17.
This marks the third postponement of the verdict. Initially set for December 23, 2024, it was first rescheduled to January 6 and later to January 13. The case, which concluded within a year, is the only trial involving Imran Khan to reach completion in such a timeframe.
Imran Khan was arrested by NAB on November 13, 2023, and both he and Bushra Bibi were formally indicted on February 27, 2024. Over the course of the trial, statements from 35 witnesses were recorded, including testimony from former principal secretary Azam Khan, former chief minister Pervez Khattak, and former federal minister Zubaida Jalal.
The case was overseen by four different judges during its proceedings. It began under Judge Mohammad Bashir, followed by Judge Nasir Javed Rana, later transferred to Judge Mohammad Ali Waraich, before returning to Judge Rana for the final phase.
The court provided 15 opportunities for the accused to complete their statements under Section 342, but no witnesses were presented by the defense.
The prosecution team, led by Deputy Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi, comprised six members, including special prosecutors Amjad Pervaiz, Sohail Arif, Irfan Bola, Barrister Owais Arshad, and Chaudhry Nawaz. The defense team included Barrister Salman Safdar, Chaudhry Zaheer Abbas, Usman Gul, and Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry.
