IHC adjourns £190m corruption case hearing for 10 days and orders meeting between Imran Khan and legal team

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) postponed a 10-day hearing on Tuesday for the appeals made by PTI founder and former Prime Minister Imran Khan, along with his wife Bushra Bibi, against their convictions in the £190 million corruption case. The couple is currently serving prison sentences for the Al-Qadir Trust case. The IHC ordered authorities to facilitate meetings between Imran and his legal team.

Upon the commencement of the proceedings on Tuesday, Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar indicated that lawyers were granted access to Imran and Bushra. Barrister Salman Safdar mentioned that an undertaking had been given by Advocate Sardar Latif Khan Khosa, who is now unavailable. The court directed the Islamabad Advocate General Naveed Hayat Malik to arrange for Khosa to meet Imran within a couple of days.

The lawyer representing Imran, Salman Akram Raja, informed the court that he had received instructions from his client. The court emphasized that the proceedings' formal arguments would commence. Barrister Safdar expressed concerns about the lack of access to Imran, who has been denied meetings for seven months and Bushra for 11 months.

He also highlighted the complexity of the case, which involves approximately 3,500 pages of documents and testimony from 35 witnesses. Barrister Safdar requested permission to meet Bushra, stating that her eye condition appeared severe and required immediate specialist attention. The court directed the advocate general to ensure Bushra receives medical treatment and arrange an hour-long meeting between Khosa and Imran before adjourning the proceedings for 10 days.