A Pakistan court will formally charge former premier Imran Khan on May 10 for hiding earnings from the sale of state gifts acquired during his time in office, a lawyer for the country’s election commission said.
(Bloomberg) — A Pakistan court will formally charge former premier Imran Khan on May 10 for hiding earnings from the sale of state gifts acquired during his time in office, a lawyer for the country’s election commission said.
No date has so far been set for a trial, which will follow the formal indictment, Amjad Pervez told Bloomberg over the phone on Friday. Judge Hamayun Dilawar has ordered Khan to appear in court next week, Pervez added.
The Election Commission had earlier suspended Khan from parliament for hiding assets from the sale of state gifts.
Khan will challenge the Friday ruling in a higher court with a request to stop the charges from being framed. “The judgment was given in haste,” said Gohar Ali Khan, his lawyer. “We will want the high court to first decide if the case fulfills legal requirements to proceed on.”
The election body’s probe found Khan bought the gifts at concessional prices from the state treasury. His purchases included one Graff and six Rolex watches assessed to be valued at $354,714 and jewelery worth $148,039. Some of these were sold in local markets, according to media reports.
Pakistan Court Defers Indictment on Khan’s State Gifts Case
(Updates with comment from Khan’s counsel in fourth paragraph)
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