IHC fines NAB over delay in £190m case hearing

The Islamabad High Court has imposed a Rs100,000 fine on the National Accountability Bureau’s special prosecutor after concluding that the prosecution was causing delays in proceedings linked to the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case involving Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi.

A division bench led by Chief Justice Sardar Muhammad Sarfraz Dogar heard petitions seeking suspension of the couple’s sentences. Before the hearing, NAB submitted a miscellaneous application arguing that the pleas were not maintainable because the main appeals had not yet been formally fixed and notices had not been issued.

Defence lawyers Salman Safdar and Aitzaz Ahsan told the court they were not seeking adjournment and pressed for the matter to move forward. They argued that procedural delays had already stretched for months and urged the bench to act against what they described as repeated prosecutorial stalling.

After hearing both sides, the court penalised the NAB prosecutor and issued notice on the bureau’s objection plea, while adjourning further proceedings. The case centres on allegations tied to the transfer and handling of funds repatriated to Pakistan during Imran Khan’s tenure as prime minister.