The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has once again directed jail authorities to obtain and provide signed powers of attorney documents for Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra, in connection with their appeals against convictions in the £190 million case.
During the hearing before a two-member bench comprising IHC Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar and Justice Muhammad Asif, the appellants’ counsel Salman Safdar noted Khan faced around 300 cases. He protested against an IHC order issued on April 30 after the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) argued the main appeals should be heard instead of the applications seeking suspension of sentence.
He recalled the primary appeals were fixed for hearing for the first time on May 7 and he did not appear because he wished to challenge an earlier order before the Supreme Court. He noted the petition was rejected by the registrar because Khan and Bushra’s powers of attorney were not provide due to the jail superintendent’s failure to obtain them.
The chief justice noted that Safdar also lacked a power of attorney and any of Khan’s lawyers could have secured it. Safdar maintained he had not been allowed to meet Khan since November—not entirely accurate as he last met Khan in April.
The bench then directed Safdar to begin arguments on his appeal, prompting him to note his clients had not issued him any such instructions. Acknowledging he had met Khan earlier this year, he said he had yet to meet Bushra and still needed signed powers of attorney to proceed to the Supreme Court.
To this, the chief justice questioned why powers of attorney had not been signed and provided to Khan and Bushra’s lawyers. NAB Special Prosecutor Javed Arshad responded that this issue did not fall within the bureau’s remit. The chief justice, however, instructed the prosecutor to ensure the documents were signed.
Safdar then questioned whether jail authorities intended to delay the process until the time for filing appeals had expired before providing the signed papers. The court then ordered the Attorney General for Pakistan’s Office to ensure compliance with its order within seven days, directing the provision of the signed powers of attorney to lawyers of the former prime minister and his wife.
The hearing of appeals against convictions in the £190 million case were then fixed for the last week of June.
The £190 million, or Al-Qadir Trust, case pertains to allegations that Khan had colluded with Bahria Town owner Malik Riaz to adjust Rs. 50 billion sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency to the Pakistani government against a penalty imposed by the Supreme Court.