Jewellery set gifted by MBS: NAB files fresh reference against IK, Bushra

ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB), on Tuesday, filed a fresh Toshakhana reference against former prime minister and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founding chairman Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi about a jewellery set gifted by the Saudi Crown Prince.

The reference consists of two volumes submitted by the Investigation Officer (IO), Mohsin Haroon, and case officer Waqar ul Hassan to the Accountability Court Registrar’s Office. The registrar will examine the reference, after which it is sent to the administrative judge of the Accountability Court Nasir Javed Rana, who will decide whether this case will be heard by his court or transferred to another court.

The bureau also filed a list of 22 prosecution witnesses along with the reference.

The prosecutor’s witnesses include the names of Section Officer Toshakhana Cabinet Division Binyamin, Prime Minister’s Office Protocol Officer Talat Mahmood, joint director SBP, Karachi Sajid Khan, Section Officer Cabinet Division Muhammad Meesam, Additional Director NAB Headquarters Qaiser Mahmood, Assistant Director Ministry of Foreign Affairs(MOFA) Muhammad Fahim,

Third Secretary Embassy of Pakistan Mohsin Hasan, Director UN-I MOFA Umer Siddique, former military secretary Brigadier Muhammad Ahmed, former DMS to Prime Minister Colonel Rehan Mehmood, former deputy secretary Cabinet Division Muhammad Ahad, Azeem Manzoor, Rabia Samad, Sana Saeed, former prime minister’s personal secretary Inam Ullah Shah, Private Appraiser (Approver) Sohiab Abbasi, Magistrate ICT Muhammad Abdullah, AC Pakistan Customs Tania Khan, Director NAB Shafqat Mehmood, Assistant Director NAB Aftab Ahmed, UDC NAB Hasnain Mustafa, and IO Mahmood Haroon.

The bureau has reportedly filed a Toshakhana-II reference based on a Bulgarian jewellery set that was gifted to Bushra Bibi by the Saudi Crown Prince during a visit to Saudi Arabia from May 7 to May 10, 2021.

The reference said the jewellery set includes a ring, a bracelet, a necklace, and a pair of earrings.

According to the reference, evidence collected during the investigation indicates that the PTI founder and Bushra Bibi unlawfully kept the jewellery set.

The deputy military secretary on May 18, 2021 informed the section officer of Toshakhana about the estimated value of the set and declaration of the set, but the jewellery was not submitted to Toshakhana, it says.

It further alleged that the Bulgarian set including the necklace and earrings was sold to a Saudi franchise, Salogent Trading, for 300,000 Euros and 80,000 Euros, respectively, on May 25, 2018. However, no information about the bracelet and ring’s prices could be obtained. As of May 28, 2021, the total estimated value of the jewellery set was approximately Rs75,661,600, it says, adding that the necklace alone was valued at Rs56,496,000, while the earrings were worth PKR 15,065,600.

According to Toshakhana rules, by paying 50 per cent of the estimated value, the total payable amount for the jewellery set should have been Rs35,765,800. However, by undervaluing the jewellery set, a loss of Rs32,851,300 was inflicted on the national treasury,

it says.

The reference claims that the PTI founder along with Bushra Bibi, violated sections 9, 3, 4, 6, and 12 of the NAB Ordinance, 1999. The NAB had started an inquiry against Khan and his wife following a NAB Executive Board Meeting (EBM) presided over by the chairman NAB on August 1, 2022. The former premier abused his powers during his tenure as prime minister, keeping 58 out of 108 gifts received during his time in office, it says.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2024