ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Islamabad High Court (IHC) Aamir Farooq on Friday observed that the trial court that sentenced former Prime Minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan in the Toshakhana case. made a “mistake”.
The judge’s remarks came during the hearing of the PTI chief’s appeal challenging the Toshakhana verdict, which sentenced him to three years in prison and fined him Rs 100,000 earlier this month.
A two-member IHC bench comprising Chief Justice Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri heard the trial court’s Additional District and Sessions Judge (ADSJ) Humayun Dilawar’s plea seeking suspension of Khan’s sentence.
During today’s hearing, Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) legal advisor Amjad Parvez did not appear before the bench citing ill health.
His counsel sought an adjournment from the bench, saying: “For the last eight months, we have never sought an adjournment.”
He said that the doctors have advised Parvez to take bed rest.
On this, the IHC chief justice said: “The application for suspension of sentence is now at a critical stage.” He further said that arguments will be completed in fifteen to twenty minutes.
He added: “We can do what the trial court did, but we won’t.”
The PTI has criticized the trial court’s decision saying that the decision was delivered in haste in the absence of the party chief and his lawyer.
After which the court adjourned the hearing till Monday.
Justice Farooq said that we adjourn the trial till Monday and even if no one comes, we will deliver our verdict, adding that what the trial court did was wrong.
On this, PTI’s lawyer Latif Khosa remarked that a person has been in jail for twenty days, will you keep the PTI chairman in jail for three more days?
“We will not appear in court, do what you have to do.”
He requested the bench to suspend the sentence today.
He requested that if you are satisfied with his arguments on Monday, send him back to jail.
Apart from the jail term, the Additional District and Sessions Judge convicted Khan of corruption in the Toshakhana case and imposed a fine of Rs 1 lakh.
This is the third petition filed by the party after the arrest of the PTI chief.
It may be mentioned here that the Supreme Court (SC) on Wednesday heard a petition challenging the IHC’s decision to refer the case back to the trial court judge who convicted him. and observed that the trial court was hasty in ruling on Toshakhana.
It acknowledged “procedural flaws” in Khan’s conviction but chose to wait for the IHC’s decision on the former prime minister’s plea to suspend his three-year sentence.
What is Toshakhana case?
Under the rules governing the Toshakhana – a Persian word meaning “treasure chest” – government officials can keep gifts if they are of low value, while paying dramatically lower fees to the government for extravagant items. Must pay.
The Toshakhana has been under a microscope ever since allegations emerged that Khan bought gifts as prime minister at exorbitant rates and sold them in the open market for huge profits.
The 70-year-old cricketer-turned-politician was accused of abusing his prime ministership from 2018 to 2022 by buying and selling government-owned gifts that were received during overseas trips worth 140 million. (635,000 dollars) was more than Rs.
Among the gifts were watches given by a royal family, according to government officials, who had previously alleged that Khan’s aides had sold them in Dubai.
Additionally, seven wristwatches, six made by watchmaker Rolex, and the most expensive “Mastergraph Limited Edition” priced at 85 million Pakistani rupees ($385,000) were among the gifts.
A reference was sent to the Election Commission by National Assembly Speaker Raja Pervez Ashraf asking for an investigation into the matter.
In October 2022, the election body also found the former prime minister guilty of corruption and filed a complaint in an Islamabad court.
