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Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan was questioned by a panel from the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for a duration of four hours regarding the £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) UK settlement case, as reported by The News.
The NAB panel presented a questionnaire to Imran Khan, seeking responses supported by documentary evidence.
Sources revealed that the panel asked a variety of questions related to the case, including inquiries about money transfers, cabinet approval, land allocation for the Al-Qadir Trust, and records of donations.
Furthermore, they inquired about the confidentiality of the summary and its approval by the cabinet without discussion.
According to sources, Imran Khan informed NAB that the entire process involving the NCA was overseen by his former aide on accountability, Shahzad Akbar.
Khan stated that he had no direct involvement in the process and only received verbal briefings.
The PTI chairman suggested that Shahzad Akbar should be summoned from London for further investigation.
Originally scheduled for June 7, the NAB had initially summoned both Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, but they requested a postponement.
The NAB team rescheduled Imran Khan’s summons for June 8, while Bushra Bibi received a summons for June 13.
Background of the Case Imran Khan, along with his wife Bushra Bibi and other PTI leaders, is under investigation by NAB regarding a settlement between the PTI government and a property tycoon, which allegedly caused a loss of £190 million to the national exchequer.
According to the charges, Khan and other accused individuals allegedly adjusted Rs50 billion (equivalent to £190 million at the time) sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Pakistani government as part of the agreement with the property tycoon.
They are also accused of receiving undue benefits, including the allocation of over 458 kanals of land in Mouza Bakrala, Sohawa, for the establishment of Al-Qadir University.
During the PTI government, the UK’s National Crime Agency seized assets worth £190 million from the property tycoon in Britain. The agency stated that the assets would be transferred to the government of Pakistan, and the settlement with the property tycoon was considered a civil matter without implying guilt.
Subsequently, Prime Minister Khan obtained the cabinet’s approval for the settlement with the UK crime agency on December 3, 2019, without disclosing the confidential details of the agreement.
The money from the settlement was decided to be submitted to the Supreme Court on behalf of the property tycoon.
Following the approval, the Al-Qadir Trust was established in Islamabad, with PTI leaders Zulfi Bukhari, Babar Awan, Bushra Bibi, and Farah Khan initially appointed as members.
NAB officials were initially investigating the alleged misuse of powers in the process of recovering “dirty money” from the UK crime agency. The inquiry was later converted into an investigation after the emergence of “irrefutable evidence” in the case.
According to NAB officials, Imran Khan and his wife obtained land worth billions of rupees from the property tycoon in exchange for providing legal cover to the property tycoon’s black money received from the UK crime agency, with the purpose of establishing an educational institute.
Please note that the information provided is based on the given article, and official updates or statements may alter the details of the case.
