ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested on Tuesday on corruption charges. Government officials alleged the former premier and his wife received land as a bribe through a charitable trust.
Khan and his aides have denied any wrongdoing.
Below are some facts about the trust and the land acquisition.
WHAT IS AL-QADIR TRUST?
Al-Qadir Trust is a non-governmental welfare organization set up by Bushra Watto, Khan’s third wife, and Khan in 2018 when he was still in office.
While prime minister, Khan promoted the trust at official events.
The couple is sole trustee of the trust, according to Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar.
WHAT DOES THE TRUST DO?
The trust runs a university outside Islamabad devoted to spirituality and Islamic teachings, a project inspired by the former first lady, who is also commonly known as Bushra Bibi and has a reputation as a spiritual healer.
Khan has publicly described her as his spiritual leader and said she helped guide him towards a spiritual path.
WHAT IS THE CORRUPTION CASE?
Interior Minister Rana Sanaullah told a press conference on Tuesday that the trust was a front for Khan to receive valuable land as a bribe from a real estate developer, Malik Riaz Hussain, who is one of Pakistan’s richest and most powerful businessmen.
The trust has nearly 60 acres of land worth seven billion Pakistani rupees ($24.7 million) and another large piece of land in Islamabad close to Khan’s hilltop home, the minister said.
The 60-acre parcel is the official site of the university but very little has been built there.
HOW WAS THE BRIBE ALLEGED TO HAVE WORKED?
The government said the scheme originated with 190 million pounds repatriated to Pakistan in 2019 by Britain after Hussain forfeited cash and assets to settle a British probe into whether they were proceeds of crime.
Instead of putting it in Pakistan’s treasury, Khan’s government used the money to pay fines levied by a court against Hussain for illegal acquisition of government lands at below-market value for development in Karachi.
The interior minister alleged Hussain gave the land to Khan through the Al-Qadir Trust in exchange for that favour.
HOW HAS KHAN RESPONDED TO THE ALLEGATIONS?
Khan’s aides have previously said that the land was donated to the trust for charitable purposes.
Aide Fawad Chaudhry said on Tuesday the charges were trumped up. The real-estate developer has also denied any wrongdoing.
($1 = 283.4000 Pakistani rupees)
(Reporting by Asif Shahzad; Editing by Cynthia Osterman)
