ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Monday disposed of the Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf (PTI) founder’s application seeking suspension of sentence in the £190 million case, ruling that such pleas become ineffective once the main appeals are scheduled.
The court fixed May 7 as the date to hear the appeals, which will be taken up by a two-member bench headed by Chief Justice Sarfaraz Dogar. The bench also rejected the request to hear the suspension applications of the PTI founder and his wife Bushra Bibi prior to the appeals.
In its order, the court observed that since the appeals have been listed for hearing, the applications for suspension of sentence lose relevance. On this basis, Bushra Bibi’s plea was also disposed of.
It may be recalled that in the £190m case, the accountability court had sentenced former prime minister Imran Khan to 14 years in prison along with a fine of Rs1 million. His wife Bushra Bibi was handed a seven-year sentence and fined Rs5 million in the same reference.
The upcoming hearing of the appeals is expected to be a key development in the high-profile case, which has drawn significant political and public attention.
