Imran Khan skips NAB appearance in NAB investigation of £190 Million NCA Scam

ISLAMABAD, May 18 (SABAH): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman and former prime minister Imran Khan submitted a written response to the NAB pertaining to NAB investigation of £190 Million NCA Scam, terming all the allegations made by the graft watchdog in the call-up notice as false.

In written response, Imran Khan said that it was not possible for him to appear in person before NAB Rawalpindi and join the investigation as he was in Lahore and in the process of obtaining bail in a multitude of cases.

Imran Khan, in his five-page response, said that no case of corruption or corrupt practice was made rather the entire object of initiating the inquiry and investigation in the case was politically motivated and, to say the least, is based on facts extrenous to law.

PTI chairman stated that the inquiry report regarding the allegations did not provide his hitherto. It was stated that at the time of inquiry, he only received notice of summons, which did not include any details of the allegations made in the inquiry.

Imran Khan stated that he had only received on call up notice during the entire inquiry. He also added that he had challenged the notices sent earlier by NAB in the same and other cases as per law. Khan also told NAB that as per it laws it was bound to copy of the report of inquiry immediately if it was converted into an investigation to him for defence which it did not do so.

However, he pleaded: “On the contrary, it was through a news report by Ansar Abbasi published in daily ‘The News’ of 30th April, 2023, that I came to know of the completion of Inquiry and its conversion into Investigation.” PTI chairman stated that due to the NAB’s failure, he had decided to approach the Islamabad High Court (IHC) to seek a copy of the report.

“Thus, on May 09, 2023, I was sitting in the biometric branch of the IHC for getting my biometrics verified for the purpose of filing, inter alia, the said Writ Petition, when you manoeuvred my arrest in a manner that blatantly violated, inter alia, my fundamental right to access to justice, which is a component of my fundamental right to life, and thereby not only prevented me from getting my Writ Petition numbered after it had been diarised, you were also instrumental in my abduction from the High Court premises,” he added.

PTI Chairman further stated: “From the facts and circumstance narrated hereinabove it is abundantly clear that not only you had violated the provision of law by not providing me a copy of the Inquiry report as mandated by the proviso to Section 18(c) of NAO, 1999.”

Therefore, he requested that before serving him a notice, a copy of the said Inquiry report should be immediately forwarded to him at his address at Zaman Park, or, it should be furnished to his legal counsel in Islamabad, Gohar Ali Khan. He said that said the NAB call-up notice was ‘illegal’ and as per the record no “corrupt practices” were unearthed and the motive behind turning inquiry into the investigation was to victimize him politically.

He also said in his response that he did not have the documents sought by the NAB. The allegation of deliberately not appearing in the inquiry is not true.

The reply also asks the NAB to return the shaving kit, clothes and the inquiry report to Zaman Park. He says some of his belongings were left behind while he was in NAB custody, and asked for them to be returned.

Imran Khan also alleged that 25 people were martyred due to police firing.

Earlier, the PTI Chief Imran Khan failed to appear before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Rawapindi’s Combined Investigation Team (CIT) in an inquiry into 190 million pounds.

Imran Khan did not appear before the bureau’s Rawalpindi office situated at melody area of Islamabad despite being issued summons in the case. Imran Khan was directed to appear before the CIT of NAB at 10:00 AM on Thursday.

A questionnaire with 20 questions regarding the inquiry has been sent to both Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi.

According to sources of a private TV channel, Imran Khan’s legal team had advised him not to appear in NAB in personal capacity and, instead, submit a written response to the 20 questions asked about the corruption case which also involves a property tycoon. Now the NAB CIT will decide whether to issued the fresh call up notice to Imran Khan or approach the Islamabad High Court for cancellation of his bail and seeking permission of his arrest.

A NAB notice to Iman Khan sought details of the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency (NCA) 2019 probe into assets worth £190 million.

Moreover, the anti-graft body directed Imran Khan to bring along details regarding the NCA investigation and all documents related to the Al-Qadir University, including land papers, trust deeds and bank statements. The NAB also said the PTI chief could face legal action in case of non-compliance with the summons.

The case had made its way to the federal cabinet on Dec 3, 2019, where it was presented by then special assistant to the prime minister (SAPM), Mirza Shahzad Akbar, in a sealed envelope. The purpose of the presentation was to discuss the return of the funds which would be channelled into an account overseen by the registrar of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.

This particular account was associated with the recovery of a staggering Rs460 billion from the same property tycoon in connection with fines imposed on a housing scheme in Karachi.

Investigations have revealed that as part of an agreement to return the laundered money, the property tycoon offered a substantial compensation package. This included the transfer of 458 kanal, 4 marla and 58 square feet of land in Jhelum, alongside cash amounting to Rs285 million, which was destined for the Al-Qadir Trust.

The trustees of Al-Qadir Trust included then prime minister Imran Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi and his senior advisers Syed Zulfiqar Abbas Bukhari and Babar Awan. However, it is worth noting that Awan and Bukhari’s positions were subsequently revoked on April 22, 2020.