A court in Pakistan has remanded former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi until July 22 on new charges related to alleged “abuse of power to procure gifts from the Toshakhana State Treasury,” Geo TV reported.
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National Accountability Bureau, Pakistan’s anti-corruption agency, filed the new charge less than a day after an Islamabad court on Saturday upheld an appeal by Khan and his wife, overturning the verdict in an illegal marriage case, the latest court case to hold the Tehreek-i-Insaf” party founder in prison.
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“The Accountability Court has directed the National Accountability Bureau to interrogate the two suspects at Adiala Jail and also directed the couple to appear before the court on July 22,” the TV channel reported.
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In turn, the lawyer for the ex-prime minister and his wife said that this arrest is illegal, adding that their application for bail is already being considered in the Supreme Court.
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Imran Khan, who headed the government of Pakistan from 2018 to 2022, was removed from office on April 10, 2022, as a result of a vote of no confidence passed against him. In August 2023, Khan was arrested in a fraud case related to the sale of valuables kept in the state treasury of Toshakhane. Later, a number of charges were brought against him, in particular, high treason related to the distribution of a secret telegram, and a number of others. During the consideration of the appeals filed by Khan, most of the charges against him were dropped, but the ex-prime minister remained in custody in the case of illegal marriage.
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Earlier, a UN working group on arbitrary detention demanded the immediate release of jailed former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, saying at least two cases brought against him were “politically motivated” and aimed at excluding him from political life. countries. In particular, UN experts said Khan’s detention and prosecution in the first corruption case at the Toshakhane national treasury and in the case of disclosure of state secrets were “politically motivated” to exclude him from political participation. The UN body based its opinion on detailed evidence from its source.
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In turn, Pakistani Justice Minister Azam Nazir Tarar called the trials against ex-Prime Minister Imran Khan an internal matter of Pakistan.
