By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court on Thursday said it would announce its verdict on Friday on petitions filed by former prime minister Imran Khan challenging a graft case against him over state gifts he allegedly misused.
Khan, who led the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to power in 2018 but lost a confidence vote in 2022, is accused of buying a luxury watch and other items from the state depository or Toshakhana at a fraction of their market value and selling them for personal gain.
Authorities claimed that Khan had violated the law by not disclosing the money he earned from selling the gifts in his election papers and tax returns.
According to the official records, the gifts were purchased from the state depository for Rs21.5 million on the basis of their assessed value, while they were actual valued at around Rs108 million.
Khan has denied any wrongdoing and filed petitions in the Islamabad High Court (IHC) seeking to quash the case, transfer it to another court and secure his right to defence.
The case was initiated by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which filed a complaint against Khan in a trial court after declaring that he had violated the code of conduct for public office holders.
The trial court framed charges against Khan on May 10, but the IHC stayed the proceedings and asked the judge to re-examine the matter in light of eight legal questions.
However, the judge reaffirmed the maintainability of the case on July 9 and summoned witnesses for testimony.
On Wednesday, the judge rejected Khan’s request for more time to present his witnesses and asked his lawyer to conclude his arguments or face an order on the complaint.
IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq heard arguments from both sides on Thursday and reserved his verdict, saying he would announce it on Friday.
Khan’s lawyer Khawaja Haris accused the trial court of hearing the case in “haste” and showing “prejudice” against his client.
He also argued that the ECP’s complaint was not filed in a legally correct manner and should have gone through a magistrate first.
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
