ISLAMABAD, Aug 05: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief Imran Khan was arrested on Saturday shortly after the trial court hearing the Toshakhana case declared him guilty and sentenced him to three years in jail.
The court had ordered the immediate arrest of the PTI chairperson and also imposed a fine of Rs100,000.
Shortly after the decision, the party’s Punjab chapter took to Twitter to state that the former premier is being shifted to Kot Lakhpat Jail.
The verdict, issued by Additional District and Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawar, comes amid the PTI chief’s contentions on both the maintainability of the case and repeated transfer requests based on percieved biasness of the judge.
A day after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) directed the PTI chief’s legal team to take up the matter of maintainability with the trial court again, Justice Dilawar had sought arguments on maintainability. He had also warned the PTI chief’s legal team to present final arguments otherwise the decision would be announced today (Saturday).
When the trial court took up the matter today at 8.30am the PTI chief’s senior legal representatives were absent. The court took three recesses before announcing the verdict sometime past noon.
Neither the defendant nor his senior counsels appeared despite the court giving multiple chances for them to do so. The PTI chief’s junior counsel informed the court that the latter had an appearance before another court.
In his ruling, Justice Dilawar said that the charges against Imran had been proven.
Issuing the verdict, the trial court declared the PTI chief guilty of corrupt practices and of making a false declaration before the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP).
The Islamabad inspector-general of police (IGP) was instructed to ensure immediate implementation of arrest warrants.
The Toshakhana case was filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against the PTI chief for “deliberately concealing” the gifts he received during his term as the prime minister and retained them from the Toshakhana.
The ECP had already presented its final arguments in the case during earlier hearings.
ECP lawyer Amjad Parvez had argued that the PTI chief had admitted the charge in his statement to the court, therefore, the prosecution did not need to prove the case.
He said that the accused had admitted that the gifts were taken from Toshakhana, adding that the PTI chief claimed his tax returns would prove that he did not commit dishonesty.
However, the lawyer continued, the PTI chief’s tax returns had nothing to do with the case. He said that the PTI chief submitted a list of four witnesses who were tax consultants, therefore, it was rejected.
Parvez further argued that it was unbelievable that the PTI chairman did not have a single car or jewellery. “In four years, the PTI chairman had only four goats. Is it acceptable?”
‘Arrest’
Shortly after the judgement was given, reports of the PTI chief’s arrest were circulated from the party leadership in Punjab.
It appeared that the former premier was taken into custoday today without resistance unlike previous incidents wherein Zaman Park would be surrounded by PTI supporters at threat of arrest.
Imran was last arrested on May 11, when he was detained by the paramilitary Rangers from the premises of a court in Islamabad, where he had appeared for proceedings in the Al-Qadir case.
The arrest had prompted widespread riots and protests accross the country, leading to an uproar within the civil-military establishment, which vowed to deal with vandals who resorted to attacking army installations with an iron hand.
PTI chief’s appeal
Meanwhile, the PTI chief once again approached the Supreme Court this morning seeking the Toshakhana case’s transfer to another court.
He has repeatedly approached the IHC challenging the jurisdiction of the additional district and sessions judge for trying the case and raising other questions against its order of rejecting his right to defence in the case.
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