As the accountability court of Islamabad continues to hear the high-profile reference involving £190 million against Imran Khan and his wife in Adiala Jail, the former prime minister has sought relief in the case following recent amendments to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) laws.
The hearing in the NAB reference, presided over by accountability court judge Nasir Javed Rana, marks the first petition for acquittal filed by the PTI founder through his legal team.
The petition was submitted in response to the NAB reference, which pertains to allegations of financial misconduct.
Imran Khan's wife, Bushra Bibi, has already submitted a separate application for acquittal related to the same reference. The founder's legal representative argued that this petition should be considered alongside Bushra Bibi's application.
NAB lawyers contended that the court has jurisdiction over the case and that the reference should be heard in its entirety. They argued that the recent Supreme Court decision does not impact this case and that the defence should have first challenged the jurisdiction before considering acquittal.
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NAB lawyers further stressed that if the court lacks jurisdiction, it cannot proceed with an acquittal.
In response, the court issued a notice to NAB regarding the acquittal plea and adjourned the hearing until September 10.
On Friday, the Supreme Court restored the amendments to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) law, approving the federal government's intra-court appeal against the nullification of the amendments. The verdict, delivered by a five-member bench headed by Chief Justice of Pakistan (CJP) Qazi Faez Isa, overturned the prior decision of a two-member bench that had invalidated the amendments.
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The court ruled unanimously, with chief justice Isa delivering the verdict. The Supreme Court stated that Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Founder Imran Khan failed to prove that the amendments to the NAB ordinance were unconstitutional, declaring that constitutional institutions should respect each other's mandates.
"The chief justice and Supreme Court judges are not the gatekeepers of parliament," the judgement noted.
The Supreme Court noted that legislation of parliament should not be declared null and void without a reason, which also did not mean that the legislation should not be annulled even if it is against the Constitution. "If a legislation is against the Constitution, the court can declare it null and void," the SC declared.
