Imran Khan request to halt his concealing assets trial rejected
3 Min Read
Pakistan's supreme court has denied former Prime Minister Imran Khan's request to halt his prosecution in a continuing case alleging the concealment of assets after selling public gifts.
-
Imran Khan during a news conference in Shaukat Khanum hospital in Lahore, Pakistan on November 4, 2022. (AP)
Pakistan’s Supreme Court on Wednesday rejected a petition from former Prime Minister Imran Khan to halt his trial in a case against him on the accusation of allegedly hiding the illicit sale of state gifts, commonly known as the Toshakhana case.
The latest court ruling was a blow to Khan, who was disqualified by the Election Commission in October 2022 on charges he didn't correctly disclose his assets after selling state gifts that he had received from foreign dignitaries and heads of state after coming to power in 2018.
Khan has insisted he did not buy or sell state gifts in violation of the law. In Pakistan, government leaders are allowed to buy back gifts, but they aren't usually sold. If they are, individuals must declare that as income.
His trial relating to the case will resume on Thursday in Islamabad.
Pakistan's electoral commission announced Tuesday that it will prosecute the former Prime Minister next week on accusations of openly insulting its officials last year.
Khan and his counsel appeared before a special tribunal of Pakistan's Election Commission in Islamabad, and after a brief session, one of his attorneys, Shoaib Shaheen, stated that the tribunal decided to charge the former premier with contempt on Aug. 2.
Khan is accused of referring to the chairman of the electoral commission, Sikandar Sultan Rajaa, and other of its employees as "personal servants" of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif at multiple gatherings. Sharif took over in April 2022 after Khan was deposed in a no-confidence motion in parliament.
Days ago, in the latest in a string of legal challenges facing Khan, Pakistan's electoral commission issued a non-bailable arrest warrant for him, according to a report on Monday by Geo News.
Khan, 70, faces more than 170 court cases ranging from corruption to murder and inciting violence since he was removed from power in April of last year.
Khan's supporters were enraged after his arrest in a corruption case in May, and protested for several days. The bloody violence that ensued amid the police crackdown did not subside until after Khan was released by order of the Supreme Court of Pakistan.
Since then, many more courts have granted Khan protection from arrest in a variety of circumstances.
