ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court extended former prime minister Imran Khan’s interim bail in a corruption case on Wednesday, confirmed his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party in a brief statement.
Khan was arrested by the country’s anti-graft body, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), earlier this month to carry out investigation into the same case, popularly called the Al-Qadir Trust corruption reference, in which he is said to have received valuable land as a bribe from a real estate developer in the country.
The former prime minister is accused of getting undue benefit from the business tycoon after granting him a settlement in £190 million seized by the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency in a property deal.
The government said Khan used the Al-Qadir Trust, jointly owned by him and his wife, as a front to secure financial benefits. The trust was originally created to set up a university outside the federal capital to study science, spirituality and Islamic teachings.
“Chairman Imran Khan’s interim bail granted by NAB court till June 19 in Al-Qadir University case,” PTI said in a Twitter post. “Apart from this, protective bail was granted in all the cases which were registered [against him] in Islamabad.”
Khan was brought before the Islamabad High Court (IHC) after his arrest which offered him a protective bail on May 12, asking the authorities not to arrest him in any case, known or undisclosed, until May 31. One Wednesday, the ex-premier appeared before the court due to the expiration of protection it previously offered him against arrest by law enforcement officials.
The Islamabad police reminded the former prime minister’s supporters earlier in the day that Section 144 of Criminal Procedure Code, which prohibits large public gatherings, had been enforced in the federal capital.
“No political activity is allowed in the high security/Red Zone,” the police said in a Twitter post. “If four or more than four people gather together, legal action will be taken [against them].”
However, the social media post announced that all transportation routes in Islamabad remained open for the residents of the city.
