The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Thursday removed objections to appeals filed by Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, challenging their convictions in the Toshakhana-II case, according to reports from The Express Tribune and 24NewsHD.
Justice Khadim Hussain Soomro of the IHC directed that the appeals be formally numbered and scheduled for a hearing. The court also approved two miscellaneous applications submitted by the former prime minister and his spouse. One application sought the removal of objections raised on their main appeal against the conviction, while the second requested an extension of time to address those objections, 24NewsHD reported.
The appeals contest a December 20 verdict by a special court that sentenced Khan and Bibi to 17 years’ imprisonment each over the under-priced purchase of luxury state gifts. The couple was also fined Rs16.4 million in the case, as reported by Geo.tv. The conviction relates to allegations involving the acquisition of an expensive Bulgari jewellery set from the Toshakhana, the state repository for gifts received by public office holders.
According to Geo.tv, the trial court sentenced Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi to 10 years each under sections 34 and 409 of the Pakistan Penal Code, with an additional seven years’ imprisonment each under section 5 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947.
The appeals argue that the prosecution failed to establish its case and that the trial court wrongly relied on the testimony of an approver, Sohaib Abbasi, who the appellants claim was unlawfully made an approver in the case. They also contend that multiple punishments cannot be awarded for the same offence and that the special central court lacked jurisdiction to hear the case, Geo.tv reported.
Senior PTI lawyers Barrister Salman Safdar and Salman Akram Raja appeared before the bench, and Imran Khan’s three sisters were also present in the courtroom, according to 24NewsHD. The IHC’s decision clears a procedural hurdle that had delayed the formal listing of the appeals, paving the way for substantive proceedings in the case.
Separately, the IHC is also scheduled to hear pleas from Imran Khan regarding a £190 million reference case, as reported by Business Recorder and the Associated Press of Pakistan. The court is also considering a plea to ban Khan’s X (formerly Twitter) account, according to Dawn.
