A special accountability court in the city of Rawalpindi granted interim bail to the wife of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan in a corruption case on Tuesday, local media outlet ARY news reported.
Bushra Bibi was accused alongside Khan in the case pertaining to the alleged acceptance of financial help from a land developer in the setting-up of Al Qadir University. Both have denied any wrongdoing.
Despite the bail, she remains incarcerated due to another conviction. Pakistani media quoted prison officials as stating that Bushra cannot be released due to her conviction in the Iddat case
“Despite the bail being approved, Bushra Bibi cannot be released because she is serving a sentence in the Iddat marriage case,” said jail authorities.
Special Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Ali Waraich approved interim bail plea of former first lady in the £190 million National Crime Agency (NCA) settlement case. Subsequently, the court adjourned the hearing till July 5.
During the hearing, the court recorded statements of three witnesses and summoned more witnesses on next hearing.
It was last December that the national accountability bureau launched an inquiry against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Khan, his wife Bushra Bibi, and others, regarding the alleged acquisition of numerous acres of land under the guise of Al Qadir University Trust. It is alleged that this acquisition resulted in a reported loss of 190 million pounds to the Pakistani exchequer.
The PTI chief had registered Trust for Al-Qadir University Project on December 26, 2019.
In jail since last August, Khan was convicted in some cases ahead of February’s general election, but a U.N. human rights working group said on Monday that his arbitrary imprisonment violated international law.
Bushra Bibi formerly known as Bushra Maneka, maintains a mysterious aura. The third spouse of Imran Khan, she is known as a faith healer with a small following. Imran Khan’s marital union with Bushra Bibi in 2018 was a low-profile ceremony.
(With Inputs From Reuters)
