RAWALPINDI - After the Supreme Court’s landmark verdict on the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) amendments, an accountability court on Monday transferred the new Toshakhana reference against PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra to a relevant court.
The development was witnessed during a hearing of the incarcerated premier and former first lady’s bail petitions in the new Toshakhana reference related to a jewellery set gifted by the Saudi crown prince.
Accountability court’s Judge Muhammad Ali Warraich heard the bail pleas of the PTI founder and his wife at a makeshift court in Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail. The ex-PM and his wife were produced before the court.
At the outset of the hearing, PTI founder’s lawyer Salman Safdar told the court that the new reference could not be heard by any accountability court under the existing laws which came into effect after the restoration of the NAB amendments.
He pleaded with the accountability court to transfer the reference to another court after giving a verdict on the bail petitions.
When the judge sought arguments from the NAB prosecution team on the couple’s bail petitions, the anti-corruption watchdog officials opposed it, saying that the accountability court was not authorised to hear Imran and Bushra’s bail pleas after the changes in the laws.
The prosecutor representing the top accountability body said that under the amended laws, the reference must be transferred to relevant court to decide on the bail.
After hearing arguments from the defence and the prosecution, Judge Warraich adjourned the hearing for three hours.
Later, the judge announced his verdict on the pleas to transfer the case to a special judge central.
He remarked that the relevant court will now hear bail pleas of the accused in the next hearing today.
The accused couple had filed separate petitions seeking post-arrest bail in the new Toshakhana case.
