£190m corruption case: IHC orders Imran, Bushra to meet legal advisor within 7 days – Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday ordered the Islamabad Advocate General to arrange a meeting between former Prime Minister Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi and their legal advisor within seven days to facilitate the filing and prosecution of appeals against their conviction in the ₹190 million referral.

A division bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif has resumed hearing appeals challenging the conviction passed by an accountability court in the high-profile National Accountability Bureau (NAB) reference.

During the proceedings, Imran’s lawyer Salman Safdar informed the court that despite repeated efforts, he was unable to meet his client, who remains incarcerated at Adiala Prison in Rawalpindi. Therefore, he could neither obtain instructions nor obtain a signed vakalatnama (power of attorney) for the appeals.

The lawyer argued that prison authorities had systematically denied him access to the former prime minister. He pointed out that the NAB had recently filed a petition claiming that applications for suspension of sentence had become infructuous or no longer admissible after the main appeals against the conviction were set for hearing.

Safdar argued that without instructions from his client, he was unable to effectively pursue the matter in court.

Referring to a recent Supreme Court judgment, he argued that the apex court had granted relief in a similar post-conviction case and Imran and Bushra were entitled to seek comparable relief.

The lawyer further informed the bench that his last meeting with Bushra took place in December last year and all subsequent requests for visits were rejected by the prison authorities.

Chief Justice Dogar questioned the absence of the advocate general, observing that the jurist was responsible for ensuring that legal advisers had access to incarcerated clients whenever necessary in court proceedings.

During the hearing, Safdar suggested that the prosecution had already changed legal representatives, while he was still unable to obtain new instructions from his client.

“I have no instructions from Imran. He has the right to change lawyers if he wishes,” the lawyer argued.

The chief justice recalled that the court had earlier intervened to facilitate a meeting between the PTI founder and his lawyers, which took place subsequently.

Speaking to the lawyer, CJ Dogar asked whether he had a duly signed vakalatnama (power of attorney) authorizing him to pursue the appeals.

Safdar replied that he did not have any and clarified that he had been hired only in connection with the motions for suspension of sentence.

“Prison authorities have denied me access in a manner that appears to be intended to prescribe this procedure,” he claimed.

Expressing concern over the situation, Chief Justice Dogar remarked that the denial of access to counsel was unfortunate and could hamper the administration of justice.

The bench then directed the Islamabad advocate general to ensure that Imran and Bushra meet their lawyer within seven days so that legal formalities, including execution of vakalatnama (power of attorney) and obtaining directions, can be completed.

The court postponed further proceedings until the meetings took place and the necessary authorization documents were signed.

Imran – jailed since August 5, 2023 – is serving a 14-year prison sentence at Adiala Prison in Rawalpindi in the £190 million case, also known as the Al-Qadir Trust case.

An accountability court in Islamabad sentenced Imran and Bushra to 14 and seven years in prison respectively on January 17, 2025 in the case. Subsequently, both challenged their convictions before the IHC.

The case alleges that the couple obtained billions of rupees and land worth hundreds of kanals from Bahria Town Ltd to legalize 50 billion rupees identified and returned to the country by the UK under the PTI government.

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