Pakistan ex-PM Imran Khan gets reprieve in Toshakhana case, court stays criminal proceedings
Imran Khan
The Islamabad High Court, hearing multiple cases against Pakistan's former prime minister Imran Khan, has stayed criminal proceedings initiated against the PTI chief in the Toshakhana case.
Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, in his verdict, said that the stay order will remain effective till the next hearing of the case on June 8.
The ruling came in response to Khan’s lawyers' petition against the order restraining the lower court from further proceedings.
The District and Sessions Court had on Wednesday indicted 70-year-old Khanin the Toshakhana corruption case.
He was accused of buying gifts, including an expensive Graff wristwatch, he received as the premier at a discounted price from the state depository called Toshakhana and selling them for profit.
The court acted after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) had filed a complaint last year seeking proceedings under criminal law for not disclosing information pertaining to thegiftsthe former premier received during his time in office.
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During Friday’s hearing, Khan’s lawyer Khawaja Haris argued that the complaint against his client was submitted by a district election commissioner and not by a competent authority. He added that the ECP did not submit a letter to appoint someone as competent authority, reports Geo News.
“Election Commission only asked its office to file a complaint. The complaint filed without the competent authority cannot be heard,” the lawyer said, adding that he’s relying on the documents provided with the record by the prosecution.
The court observed that the charges had been framed against Khan in the Toshakhana case, adding that he had not answered the questions of the court during the hearing.
The accused had also refused to sign the chargesheet, it said.
The court added that it was issuing notices to the prosecution witnesses for May 13, to record their statements
Established in 1974, under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division, the Toshakhana department stores precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials by heads of other governments and states and foreign dignitaries.
The case was filed last year by the Election Commission of Pakistan and Imran Khan had skipped several hearings in the past months.
Meanwhile, another bench of the high court hearing a case related to Al-Qadir Trust granted bail for two weeks to Khan, a day after the Supreme Courttermedhis arrest from the IHC premises “invalid and unlawful”.
(With inputs from agencies)
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