Imran Khan guilty: Court releases written verdict

ISLAMABAD: District and Sessions Court has released the summary of the Toshakhana criminal proceedings case against PTI Chairman and EX-PM Imran Khan.

Further Sessions In a brief ruling, Judge Humayun Dilawar found the former PM guilty of the charges and sentenced him to three years in prison.

The court announced the four-page brief written verdict alongside the 30-page comprehensive ruling on the case.

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The jury found that the PTI chairman’s attorneys did not appear to present justifications for the case’s admissibility. The petition addressing the case’s inadmissibility based on the counsel’s absence was denied by the court.

In his short order, the judge declared that the application against the reference filed by the ECP was maintainable on the ground that “nobody argued [the] application filed by accused questioning maintainability of complaint …. and the said application is dismissed.”

He wrote that the court found the ECP’s arguments “confidence-inspiring, well-knitted” and corroborated by evidence.

“So, the charge against the accused has successfully been proven that [the] accused has committed [the] offence of corrupt practices by making and publishing false statements/ declaration in respect of assets acquired by way of gifts from Toshakhana and disposed of during the years 2018-2019, 2019-2020 and making and publishing a false statement and submitting false and incorrect declaration in material particular relating to Form-8 for the year 2020-2021.”

The judgment also stated that the PTI chairman had lied about gifts he had received from the Toshakhana. The judgment further stated that the dishonesty of the PTI Chairman had conclusively shown.

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The order further stated that Khan had engaged in corrupt behavior by willfully and knowingly concealing the benefits he had received from the national exchequer.

“He lied when he stated that he received presents from Toshakhana, which later turned out to be incorrect and wrong. His dishonesty has proven without a shadow of a doubt.

Convicting the PTI chairman under section 174 of The Election Act 2017, the judge sentenced him to three years of imprisonment, with a fine of Rs.100,000.

The former prime minister had challenged the allegations in the Toshakhana case, at several forums including the Supreme Court and Islamabad High Court (IHC).

The trial court had summoned Khan in his personal capacity) for a Toshakhana case hearing after the high court had rejected his pleas challenging the maintainability order.

The IHC also turned down Khan’s request to transfer the case to another court and directed Judge Dilawar to continue hearing the case.