Ex-military secretary claims Saudi presents were not lodged in Toshakhana as mandatory
- FIA alleges jewellery undervalued at Rs 5.9m.
- Bushra Bibi deposited Rs 2.9m in the treasury.
- The gifts consisted of Bulgari set, oud, dates, oil.
PTI founder Imran Khan (centre) and wife Bushra Bibi (left) arrive to appear before a high court in Lahore on May 15, 2023. — AFP
PTI founder Imran Khan (centre) with wife Bushra Bibi (left) arrive to appear before a high court in Lahore on May 15, 2023. — AFP
FIA alleges jewellery valued at Rs 5.9m was underpaid.
Bushra Bibi deposited Rs 2.9m in the treasury.
Gifts comprised Bulgari set, oud, dates, oil.
A star witness of the Toshakhana II case has said in a confessional statement before the court that PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, ordered him that the gifts gotten from Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman must not be put into the Toshakhana.
In his declaration, the former military secretary Brigadier (retd) Muhammad Ahmad stated that the gifts comprised a Bulgari set of jewellery, bottles of oud, olive oil, dates, and a book.
He continued to assert that all the items were photographed in accordance with official protocol, with members of the Ministry of Foreign Affairs present during the May 2021 Saudi visit.
The ministry, he furthered, officially notified the Prime Minister’s Office of the gifts in writing.
Ahmad testified that Bushra Bibi had deposited an amount in return for the gifts, for which the Toshakhana Section did not raise any objection. The valuation and correspondence with the Toshakhana, he added, were done by the deputy military secretary on the instructions of the then prime minister.
Imran, Bushra ordered not to put Saudi gifts into Toshakhana, court hears
The gifts, he testified, were valued at Rs2,914,500, which amount was deposited into the national treasury.
But FIA officials claimed that the real value of the Bulgari set itself was much more. They said the former premier hired a private appraiser who quoted the set’s value as Rs5.9 million low so that he could deposit just Rs2.9 million. The set, including a necklace, bracelet, earrings, and a ring, was said to be worth Rs75 million.
Ahmad, military secretary from May 2020 until April 2022, confirmed he was there for the Saudi visit of May 7–10, 2021, when the gifts were given.
New revelations in court, from earlier this week, have also implicated the PTI founder’s former personal secretary, Inamullah Shah, and private appraiser Sohaib Abbasi. Shah admitted to pressuring Abbasi into undervaluing the jewellery set, telling the court: “I asked Abbasi to reduce the value of the jewellery set.” He further claimed that he was later dismissed from his post due to Bushra Bibi’s displeasure.
Abbasi validated the coercion, stating he dropped the valuation to Rs 5 million due to fear and pressure from senior bureaucrats. He further claimed Shah threatened him with being blacklisted from government contracts if he did not agree. Abbasi has now given confessional statements in front of both the NAB chairman and a magistrate.
As per NAB, the jewellery set was valued higher than Rs 70 million on market terms. A 2018 company invoice showed that the necklace was sold for €300,000 and the earrings for €80,000, while prices for the bracelet and ring were not available. NAB alleges that by under-declaring the set, the national exchequer lost around Rs 35 million.
NAB’s reference states the PTI chief and Bushra Bibi accepted a combined total of 108 gifts presented by foreign personalities during his four-year term as prime minister (2018-2022), yet the Saudi Bulgari set of jewels was never placed in Toshakhana, as mandated by law.
