A Pakistani high court is set to announce its decision on Friday regarding the appeal made by former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is contesting his conviction in the Toshakhana corruption case. This follows an adjournment of the hearing by the Islamabad High Court on the previous day. The proceedings, which have been ongoing since August 22, are expected to conclude as opposing legal teams wrap up their arguments on Friday.
The panel of judges presiding over the case, consisting of Chief Justice Amer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri, temporarily halted the proceedings on Thursday for a day. Imran Khan, aged 70, is presently incarcerated at Attock Jail after being arrested subsequent to his conviction. He has been barred from holding any public office for a span of five years.
Earlier, Khan's legal representative, Latif Khosa, presented arguments against the conviction, contending that the verdict was hastily reached and riddled with deficiencies. While he urged the court to nullify the sentence, the defense team requested additional time to finalize their arguments.
The Islamabad-based sessions court, led by Judge Humayun Dilawar, had on August 5 sentenced Khan to three years in prison for concealing the proceeds from the sale of state gifts. The case originated in October of the preceding year following a complaint filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), which had previously disqualified Khan in connection with the same case.
Khan expeditiously challenged the conviction in the Islamabad High Court (IHC), seeking a suspension of his sentence and the reversal of the judgment. The verdict is anticipated to be rendered upon the culmination of the arguments. Many are of the belief that a favorable decision for the former cricketer-turned-politician could potentially follow, particularly after the Supreme Court pinpointed flaws in the judgment that led to Khan's conviction.
Concurrently, the Supreme Court convened a brief session on Thursday, opting to postpone the case until the outcome of the IHC hearing is known. The three-member panel, headed by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial and including Justice Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi and Justice Jamal Khan Mandokhail, oversaw the hearing of petitions associated with the Toshakhana case.
The initial hearing at the IHC occurred on August 22 but was deferred to Thursday after Amjad Pervez, the lawyer representing the ECP, stated that he had not yet received the case records and thus required additional time for preparation. Earlier, on Wednesday, the Supreme Court expressed its view that there were "shortcomings" in the sessions court's judgment related to the Toshakhana case. The apex court indicated that the verdict seemed rushed and had potentially deprived the accused of a proper defense.
The Supreme Court had decided to await the IHC's deliberations before delivering its own judgment. Although the Supreme Court resumed its proceedings, it adjourned without scheduling a date, upon learning that the IHC was conducting its hearing.
The Toshakhana case was initiated in 2022 by lawmakers from the ruling party and was directed at Khan. It alleged that Khan had deliberately concealed information about the proceeds stemming from the sale of state gifts. These gifts were retained from the Toshakhana, which is a repository for presents given to government officials by foreign dignitaries. The case contends that Khan held back details about these gifts during his tenure as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, along with the profits gained from their subsequent sales.
As per Toshakhana regulations, individuals subject to these rules are required to report received gifts and items to the Cabinet Division. Reportedly, Khan received 58 gifts valued at over Rs 140 million from global leaders during his three-and-a-half-year term, retaining them with minimal payment or even without any payment. After being disqualified by the ECP and subsequently facing criminal proceedings in a sessions court, Khan was convicted and subsequently incarcerated.
