By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: Former first lady Bushra Bibi has been granted protective bail until May 23 in a land graft case by the Lahore High Court (LHC), her lawyers said on Monday.
The case in question is the Al-Qadir Trust case, which saw the recent arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan. However, Khan’s arrest was later deemed unlawful by the apex court, leading to an extension of his bail until May 17 by the Islamabad High Court.
“We had requested protective bail for Bushra Bibi in the Al-Qadir Trust Case, and a two-judge bench of LHC has granted bail until May 23,” stated Bibi’s lawyer, Intizar Hussain Panjutha, during a press briefing.
Visuals shared by Khan’s party showed Bibi, who wears the traditional Islamic face veil, being surrounded by security guards as she got out of a vehicle. A large white cloth curtain was also used to cover her from view.
Accompanying his wife to the Lahore High Court, Khan expressed concerns that the government is targeting his wife as part of an alleged campaign against him
“The plan is now to humiliate me by putting Bushra Begum in jail,” he said in a Twitter post.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), an anti-graft watchdog, has accused Khan and his wife of receiving billions of rupees and land from billionaire builder Malik Riaz during Khan’s tenure as prime minister.
These allegations suggest a quid pro quo arrangement, where Riaz provided funds and land in exchange for Khan’s assistance in adjusting a Rs50 billion settlement imposed on Riaz by a British crime agency. The UK had returned these funds to Pakistan as a fine imposed by the Supreme Court.
The origins of this case can be traced back five years ago when the UK’s National Crime Agency (NCA) reached a £190 million settlement with Riaz’s family, which involved a UK property and frozen accounts owned by him.
The NCA initiated its investigation into Riaz’s assets in December 2018, shortly after the PTI came into power. Previously, the Supreme Court of Pakistan had accepted Riaz’s offer of Rs460 billion as settlement dues for his real estate firm, Bahria Town Ltd. Following the NCA’s decision, the recovered amount was transferred to the Supreme Court’s account.
It is alleged that Riaz offered money and land to Khan and his wife as part of a quid pro quo arrangement linked to the settlement. These funds and land were intended for the Al-Qadir University Trust.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
