ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s accountability watchdog has raised new corruption allegations against jailed former prime minister Imran Khan, stealing seven expensive watches and the National Gifts Archive from his time in power. accused of “illegally” possessing and selling 10 other valuable gifts related to the media, a report said on Sunday.
The National Audit Bureau (NAB) has filed a complaint against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Khan, 71, and his wife Bushra Bibi over allegations of misuse of Toshakana, the state donation repository. An investigation has begun. express tribune The newspaper reported.
The embattled former first couple were also convicted in the previous Toshahana corruption case.
In January, Khan and Bushra were each sentenced to 14 years in prison by a responsible court on charges of corrupting state donations obtained from state archives. The judgment was later stayed by the Islamabad High Court (IHC). The previous Toshahana grafting case was filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) for allegedly hiring the sale of state gifts.
According to the report, the NAB investigation focused on the illegal possession and sale of seven expensive watches and 10 other valuable gifts, including diamonds and gold jewellery.
The investigation said the items, including graph and Rolex watches and diamond jewelry, were sold without being legally owned or deposited with Toshahana, as required by law.
Toshakana is a department under the Cabinet Department that stores gifts given to rulers and government officials by heads of government of other countries and foreign dignitaries.
The rules governing the Toshaqana (a Persian word meaning “treasury”) allow government officials to keep gifts for a price, but they must first deposit them.
The gifts were purchased and held at “significantly lower rates” and “routinely sold” without being properly declared. According to the report, an expensive set of Graff watches was also sold without being “kept”.
NAB’s findings suggest collusion between the purchaser of the Graff watch and a private valuer, who allegedly undervalued the watch by Rs 30 million.
This undervaluation, confirmed in an email from Mr Toshahana, meant that only Rs 20.1 million, or 20% of the watch’s actual value of Rs 109 million, was deposited in the government treasury, the report said. Ta.
“During the investigation, it became clear that the value of luxury gift items had been appraised by private appraisers in an unscrupulous and sloppy manner.” […] They were not even industry experts and did not have the necessary experience or expertise to make these assessments. ” geography news he said, citing the report.
Following the report’s findings, the accountability watchdog was authorized to conduct further investigations into Mr Khan and Mr Bushra. A separate summons notice was also served on them, which they challenged in the IHC.
The court is scheduled to hear Bushra’s appeal on June 4th and Khan’s appeal on June 24th, according to reports.
The former cricketer-turned-politician has been incarcerated at the high-security Adiala prison in Rawalpindi since August last year. Since Khan was removed from power in a no-confidence motion in April 2022, he has been convicted in at least four cases, including the encryption case.
issued May 19, 2024, 08:50 IST
