RAWALPINDI:
Former prime minister Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi have submitted their statements under Section 342 of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) in a case related to alleged violation of state gift repository rules by the couple during Imran’s term as the PM.
In his statement, Imran has questioned whether mere failure to report a gift under the 2018 Toshakhana — gift repository — policy could warrant legal action.
He said the Toshakhana gift — a Bulgari jewellery set — was received between May 7 and 10, 2021 during his visit to Saudi Arabia and that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) later turned this into a case, accusing him and his wife of misusing the gifts rule to get the set.
He said the rules were completely silent on the Federal Investigation Agency’s (FIA) jurisdiction, and therefore, on that basis, he and his wife should be acquitted in the “fake case”.
Imran alleged that fabricated cases had been made against him since November 2022. He claimed that Inamullah Shah, the prosecution’s main witness, could not be trusted for several reasons.
He said Shah had been removed from the Prime Minister’s Office for dishonestly drawing two salaries and was working as part of Jahangir Tareen’s group.
According to the statement, when Inamullah Shah appeared as a witness in the first NAB reference, he never mentioned the Bulgari jewellery set then.
In her statement, Bushra Bibi said she had kept the Bulgari jewellery set after paying for it as per Toshakhana rules. She denied ever instructing Inamullah Shah to undervalue the set, and clarified that he had worked first at the PTI Secretariat and later at the Prime Minister’s House.
Bushra Bibi stated that even if, hypothetically, Inamullah Shah undervalued the set and gave her a benefit of Rs3.2 billion in May 2021, then why he was dismissed only two months laterin July 2021for merely drawing Rs 70,000 extra salary.
She said the prosecution’s case collapses because its facts are incorrect. She maintained that NAB has no jurisdiction and that a price estimate from Italy cannot be accepted as admissible evidence.
She further claimed that the NAB chairman had no authority to grant pardon to approver Sohaib Abbasi on May 23, 2024, and that the allegation of sending a message through Inamullah Shah to undervalue the jewellery set was false.
Bushra Bibi said that the FIA never conducted an investigation and violated its own rules by submitting a fabricated report. She also noted that in the first Toshakhana case, witnesses Inamullah Shah and Sohaib Abbasi never mentioned the Bulgari set.
Declaring herself a “pardah-nasheen”, Bushra said she had never participated in any political activity and had never instructed anyone to undervalue the jewellery set. She added that the Islamabad High Court (IHC) had already stated in its order that the FIA had no jurisdiction to pursue such a case.
“No one can be punished twice for the same offense, as is being done in the Toshakhana cases. After failing to find anything in the prohibited funding and cipher cases, the FIA has now created this case.”
The court had earlier handed a 29-item questionnaire under Section 342 to both the PTI founder and his wife, who submitted their statements in court on Friday.
According to the FIA, Imran misused his position to acquire the jewellery set that the Saudi crown prince presented as a gift during the couple’s visit to the KSA in May, 2021.
The set included a ring, bracelet, necklace, and a pair of earrings. According to the evidence gathered during the investigation, Imran and Bushra unlawfully retained the set.
On May 18, 2021, the deputy military secretary informed the section officer of Toshakhana about the need to assess and declare the price of the gift, but it was not deposited.
Bulgari sold the necklace for 300,000 euros and the earrings for 80,000 euros to a Saudi franchise on May 25, 2018. However, the price of the bracelet and ring could not be determined.
As of May 28, 2021, the total estimated value of the Bulgari jewellery set was approximately Rs75,661,600. The necklace alone was valued at Rs56,496,000, and the earrings at Rs15,065,600.
According to Toshakhana rules, 50% of the price would amount to Rs35,765,800, but the jewellery set was undervalued, causing a loss of Rs32,851,300 to the national treasury, claimed the FIA.
