£190m case: Imran Khan files acquittal plea after SC verdict on NAB amendments case

• Imran's lawyer says case no longer valid after SC verdict.
• Court adjourns hearing on acquittal plea till September 10. 
• SC accepts intra-court appeals filed against Sept 15 judgement. 

RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on Saturday sought acquittal from the £190 million case after the Supreme Court's verdict in the NAB amendments case. 

During the hearing today at the accountability court in Rawalpindi's Adiala jail, the PTI founder filed a petition seeking acquittal in the case that accused both Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, of causing billions of rupees loss to the national exchequer.

The former prime minister's lawyer told the court that the £190 million case is no longer valid after the verdict as all the cabinet decisions are protected in NAB amendments. 

"The question that arises here is whether the accountability court has jurisdiction in this case or not after the NAB amendments," the NAB prosecutor said. 

He further said if the court has jurisdiction in the case, then the ​​acquittal plea can be heard. 

At this, the PTI founder's advocate said they have not challenged the jurisdiction of the court. He added that it is the discretion of the court to decide its jurisdiction.

The accountability court then adjourned the hearing on Khan's acquittal plea till September 10. 

The PTI founder filed the plea after Supreme Court's decision on Friday accepting intra-court appeals filed against the September 15, 2023, majority judgement striking down the amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO).

A five-member bench of the SC, headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faiz Isa, accepted the intra-court appeals filed by the federal and provincial governments against the September 15 judgement.

Announcing the verdict, the apex court remarked that the PTI founder could not prove that NAB amendments were unconstitutional.

The verdict was reserved on June 6 on multiple appeals against the apex court's September 15 verdict which was announced by then-CJP Umar Ata Bandial.

The majority judgement had struck down some amendments made to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), 1999.

The amendments — National Accountability (Second Amendment) Act 2022 — were passed in a joint sitting of the parliament in April 2022 during the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government which came into power after ousting ex-premier Khan via a no-trust move in 2022.

It modified sections 2, 4, 5, 6, 25 and 26 of the NAB laws, however, nine out of 10 amendments were declared "null and void" by the CJP Bandial-led bench on the PTI founder's petition filed in June 2022.

The £190 million settlement case

As per the charges of the case, Khan and other accused allegedly adjusted Rs50 billion — £190 million at the time — sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Pakistani government as part of the agreement with the property tycoon.

Subsequently, then-prime minister Khan got approval for the settlement with the UK crime agency from his cabinet on December 3, 2019, without disclosing the details of the confidential agreement.

It was decided that the money would be submitted to the Supreme Court on behalf of the tycoon.

According to the NAB officials, Khan and his wife obtained land worth billions of rupees from the property tycoon, to build an educational institute, in return for striking a deal to give legal cover to the property tycoon’s black money received from the UK crime agency.