Islamabad: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, are set to face indictment in a new Toshakhana case on November 18. A special court of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) announced the indictment date after dismissing the couple’s pleas for acquittal in this case.
This new case involves allegations of the illegal sale of a jewelry set gifted to Bushra Bibi by the Saudi crown prince during Khan’s tenure as prime minister from 2018 to 2022. It is separate from an earlier Toshakhana case in which the couple was sentenced to 14 years in prison and fined Rs1.57 billion in January. That sentence was later suspended by the Islamabad High Court (IHC) in April.
The announcement comes after Bushra Bibi’s release from Adiala Jail last month, following the IHC’s acceptance of her bail plea. Her release led to rumors of a deal, which were firmly denied by National Assembly Opposition Leader Omar Ayub, who stated that her release was not part of any agreement.
Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi had previously been arrested shortly after an acquittal in the “un-Islamic nikah” case. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has since filed a new reference against the couple, accusing them of causing a financial loss to the national treasury.