ISLAMABAD – Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday moved a petition to the court seeking acquittal in the £190 million case.
This move came in response to a recent Supreme Court ruling on amendments to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) laws.
During the court session, Imran Khan’s legal team filed for acquittal, arguing that the NAB amendments have rendered the case invalid. They contended that the amendments, which offer protection to all cabinet decisions, should affect the ongoing case. Khan’s lawyer also questioned whether the accountability court still holds jurisdiction over this matter under the new legal framework.
In response, the NAB prosecutor acknowledged that if the court retains jurisdiction, the acquittal petition could be considered. However, Khan’s attorney argued that the court’s jurisdiction is not being contested, and it is ultimately up to the court to decide on this issue.
The Accountability Court has postponed the hearing of Khan’s acquittal petition until September 10.
The Supreme Court recently dismissed Khan’s appeal to invalidate the NAB amendments and upheld the intra-court appeals from the federal and provincial governments, thereby reinstating the amendments. The detailed ruling indicated that Khan had failed to convince the court to annul the NAB amendments.
Following the Supreme Court’s decision, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali stated that the ruling benefitted Khan in two ways: it prevents any further Toshakhana cases from proceeding and removes the £190 million case from the accountability court’s jurisdiction.
