Islamabad court to announce verdict against Imran Khan in Toshakhana case

 
The verdict will be announced at 2pm on December 15.

 A district and sessions court on Monday reserved its verdict on a plea filed by Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) in the Toshakhana case against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan.

Just For Reminder

In October, ECP, in a consensus verdict in the Toshakhana reference, disqualified the former prime minister and ruled that the PTI chief was no more a member of the National Assembly.

Today's Discussion in court 

• At the outset of the hearing, ECP's lawyer Saad Hassan appeared before the court and presented his arguments.
• "Imran Khan said that he constructed a road with the money [acquired from] Toshakhana [gifts]," he said, adding that a prime minister has to deposit any gift they receive to the Toshakhana.
• He further stated that the Toshakhana gifts could be retained after paying 20% of the gift's price until the PTI government introduced a new law which allowed taking the Toshakhana gifts after paying 50% of its price.
• "The price of the watch was estimated at Rs85 million," he said, adding that Khan failed to state the amount for which he sold the Toshakhana watch.
• "Imran Khan said that he has deposited the amount [ he paid for] for all the items in the same bank account."
• The properties or gifts taken by Khan during 2018-2019 would be counted among his assets, he added. 
• Khan should've disclosed all his assets before Election Commission, said Hassan. "Ex-premier also took jewellery from the Toshakhana but did not declare it."
• The lawyer said that the former prime minister also talked about four goats and Rs500,000 in the statements.
• The lawyer maintained that the former premier and his wife took a total of 58 gifts from Toshakhana during three years which were worth Rs142 million, at an amount equal to 20% of the gifts' cost.
• He said that Khan acquired the gifts from Toshakhana worth Rs107 million out of the said Rs142 million during 2018-19.
• The lawyer further stated that Khan didn't want to make the gifts worth Rs142 million public
• "In 2019/20 Khan declared Rs8 million on account of tax returns but didn't reveal which item's price it was," the lawyer stated.
• The lawyer further sated if any Toshakhana items were transferred then it was mandatory to mention them in the tax income statements.
• "It is not possible to personally own an item from the Toshakhana without declaring it," said the lawyer.
• He said that the Election Commission "believes the income tax statements provided by the former premier in 2022-2021 are correct", adding that the Toshakhana matter was brought to the National Assembly and the case was taken to the high court in 2020-2021.
• Lawyer Hassan said that Khan's way of dealing with the Toshakhana gifts is tantamount to money laundering.
• Later, the court reserved the verdict after completion of arguments by the ECP's lawyer.