- Imran's lawyer says the case is no longer valid after the Supreme Court verdict.
- The court postponed the hearing on the acquittal declaration until September 10.
- Supreme Court accepts intrajudicial appeals filed against September 15 ruling.
RAWALPINDI: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on Saturday sought acquittal in the £190 million case following the Supreme Court verdict in the NAB amendments case.
During today's hearing at the accountability court in Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, the PTI founder filed a petition seeking acquittal in the case that accused both Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi of causing billions of rupees in losses to the national exchequer.
The former prime minister's lawyer told the court that the £190m case is no longer valid after the verdict as all cabinet decisions are protected in the NAB amendments.
“The question that arises here is whether the accountability court has jurisdiction in this case or not after the NAB amendments,” the lawyer said.
The NAB prosecutor, during the hearing, said that if the court has jurisdiction in the case, then the acquittal plea can be heard.
In response, the PTI founder's lawyer said that they have not challenged the jurisdiction of the court. He added that it is the discretion of the court to decide its jurisdiction.
The accountability court then adjourned the hearing on Khan's acquittal plea until September 10.
The PTI founder filed the petition after the Supreme Court on Friday decided to accept intrajudicial appeals filed against the majority judgment of September 15, 2023 that struck down amendments to the National Accountability Ordinance (NAO).
A five-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faiz Isa accepted intrajudicial appeals filed by the federal and provincial governments against the September 15 judgment.
Announcing the verdict, the top court said the PTI founder could not prove that the NAB amendments were unconstitutional.
The verdict was declared on June 6 following multiple appeals against the Supreme Court's September 15 verdict which was announced by then CJP Umar Ata Bandial.
The majority ruling had struck down certain amendments to the National Liability Ordinance (NAO) of 1999.
The amendments — the National Accountability (Second Amendment) Act, 2022 — were passed in a joint session of parliament in April 2022 during the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM)-led government, which came to power after ousting former Prime Minister Khan through a no-confidence move in 2022.
It amended Sections 2, 4, 5, 6, 25 and 26 of the NAB Acts, however, nine out of the 10 amendments were declared “null and void” by the CJP Bandial-led court following the PTI founder’s petition filed in June 2022.
