The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Rawalpindi on Tuesday summoned Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan in a personal capacity in the Al-Qadir Trust case on Thursday (May 18), reported Geo News.
The NAB also retitled the Al-Qadir Trust reference to “National Crime Agency 190m Pounds Scandal,” and ordered the former premier to ensure a physical appearance on the given date. On Monday, a division bench of the Lahore High Court (LHC) granted protective bail to former first lady Bushra Bibi till May 23 in the case.
Imran Khan was also arrested in the same case on May 9 but later his arrest was declared unlawful by the apex court after which he was granted bail in the case till May 17 by the Islamabad High Court (IHC).
In a notice on Tuesday, the anti-graft body sought details of the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) 2019 probe into assets worth Pound 190 million from Imran Khan, reported Geo News.
Moreover, NAB has directed Khan to bring along details regarding the NCA investigation and all documents related to the Al-Qadir University including land papers, trust deeds and bank statements.
The anti-corruption watchdog also warned the PTI chief of legal action in case of non-compliance with the summon, reported Geo News.
The case subsequently made its way to Pakistan’s federal cabinet on December 3, 2019, where it was presented by then special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM), Mirza Shahzad Akbar, 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 Rs 460 billion from the same property tycoon, in connection with fines imposed on a housing scheme in Karachi, reported Geo News.
Investigations have revealed that as part of an agreement to return the laundered money, the property tycoon offered a substantial compensation package. This 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 Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi and his senior advisers Zulfiqar Bukhari and Babar Awan. However, it is worth noting that Awan and Bukhari’s positions were subsequently revoked on April 22, 2020.