Pakistan accountability watchdog files fresh graft case against ex-PM Khan, wife

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s anti-corruption watchdog on Tuesday filed a fresh graft case against former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Khan, for illegally retaining a jewelry set from a state repository, local media reported.
The case, also called the new Toshakhana reference, came to the fore after the watchdog, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), arrested the couple following their acquittal in an illegal marriage case on July 13.
It pertains to a jewelry set, comprising a ring, bracelet, necklace a pair of earrings worth over €380,000, gifted to the former first lady by a foreign dignitary that was allegedly undervalued by the couple and retained against a lesser price.
The NAB reference, which consists of two volumes, was filed by investigation officer Mohsin Haroon and case officer Waqar Hassan in an accountability court, Pakistan’s Geo News channel reported.
“The fresh reference will now be reviewed by the registrar of the accountability courts,” the report read. “After removing the objections, the reference will be sent to the administrative judge.”
On Monday, an accountability court sent Khan and his wife to jail on a 15-day judicial remand in the new Toshakhana reference, after the couple appeared before the court following the expiry of their 10-day physical remand and submitted a written answer in response to a questionnaire by the accountability watchdog.
The ex-premier, who has been in jail since last August, was convicted in four cases. Two of the cases have since been suspended and he was acquitted in the remaining two, including the illegal marriage case.
Khan’s convictions had ruled the 71-year-old out of the February general elections as convicted felons cannot run for public office under the Pakistani law. Arguably Pakistan’s most popular politician, Khan says the cases against him are “politically motivated,” aimed at keeping him from returning to power. Pakistani authorities deny this.
The ex-premier is also facing multiple cases relating to May 9, 2023 protests, which saw his supporters attack government and military installations over his brief arrest in a graft case.
In a separate development on Tuesday, an anti-terrorism court acquitted Khan’s wife in 12 cases relating to May 9, 2023 violence.