Pakistan's ex-Premier Imran Khan indicted in another case

By Islamuddin Sajid

ISLAMABAD (AA) - Pakistan's jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were indicted on Tuesday in another case known as "the £190 million ($236 million) reference."

The country's anti-corruption body has alleged that Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi received billions of rupees and a large piece of costly land to build the educational institution in return for releasing an amount of £190 million to a property tycoon in 2020.

Judge Nasir Javed Rana of an accountability court in the garrison city of Rawalpindi conducted the hearing in Adiala jail and indicted Khan and his wife, the local broadcaster Geo News reported.

However, Khan and his wife denied the allegations.

Last year, the anti-corruption body, National Accountability Bureau (NAB), initiated an investigation and arrested Khan for alleged corruption involving the Al Qadir University Trust, but his arrest was later declared illegal by the top court, and he was released on bail.

The amount was identified and returned to the country by the UK's National Crime Agency following a settlement with real estate tycoon Malik Riaz in 2019. The anti-graft department alleges that Khan's PTI government struck a deal with Riaz that caused a loss of over $239 million to the national exchequer in a "quid pro quo" arrangement with the businessman.

Pakistani courts already sentenced Khan in four other cases, including a seven-year prison term over charges of unlawful marriage with his wife Bibi.

The former cricket star and Bibi were also each handed 14-year jail terms last month in a case related to an illegal sale of state gifts. The ruling came a day after Khan received a 10-year sentence for leaking state secrets.