Imran Khan Seeks Acquittal in £190 Million Corruption Case Amid New NAB Amendments

Imran Khan, former Prime Minister of Pakistan, is seeking acquittal in a £190 million corruption case, citing recently restored amendments to anti-graft laws. Khan, who has criticized these amendments, argues they protect decisions made by the Federal Cabinet. The case alleges misuse of authority and personal gain involving land and donations.

In a significant legal maneuver, Pakistan's jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan has filed an application in an accountability court to seek his acquittal in a £190 million corruption case, hinging his defense on amended anti-graft laws he once vehemently opposed, according to a media report on Sunday.

The 71-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder has been imprisoned since August last year. He previously contested the amendments to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) laws introduced by the Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) government, led by the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) in 2022. Although a Supreme Court bench annulled these amendments on September 15 last year, they were reinstated on Friday by an apex court bench led by Chief Justice of Pakistan Qazi Faez Isa, following a government review petition.

The amendments altered key aspects of NAB laws, including shortening the terms of the NAB chairman and prosecutor general to three years, restricting the bureau's jurisdiction to cases involving over Pakistani Rs 500 million, and transferring ongoing inquiries, investigations, and trials to relevant authorities. Despite facing charges of misuse of authority and personal gain, Khan's legal team argues that under the amended law, the decisions made in the Federal Cabinet meeting should be protected.

(With inputs from agencies.)