ISLAMABAD: The verdict in the £190 million corruption case against former prime minister Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi was deferred for the third time after the accused failed to appear in the courtroom, purportedly due to the lack of coordination between the presiding judge and his staff.

The proceedings in the case, which revolves around theAl-Q adir Trust, being heard by Judge Nasir Javed Rana, closed on Dec 18 and the verdict was initially scheduled to be pronounced on Dec 23.However, it was postponed till Jan 6 and the judgement was again deferred till Jan 13 since the judge was not available on that date. As the courtconvened in Adiala Jail on Monday, the verdict could not be announced due to the absence of the accused and their legal team. It is expected to be announced on Jan17.

On Thursday, Judge Rana said the verdict was completely ready and had its signature, but the accused and their lawyers did not appear in the court. The court had been in session since 8:30am, awaiting the attendance of the accused and their lawyers, but they were not present. The judge noted that priorreminders and messages had been sent to ensure their presence. He said that Bushra Bibi, who is on bail, did not appear even though she knew the date of the verdict. The judge acknowledged that on January 6, the verdict was deferred because he was unavailable due to official training.

The court stressed that ample opportunities had been provided to the accused throughout the trial to present their defence. Judge Rana, showing leniency, stated, `They shouldbe given another opportunity`, as he postponed the verdict.

However, Khalid Yousaf Chaudhry, a member of ex-PM Imran Khan`s legal team, claimed that the judge arrived earlier than the time fixed for the verdict with mutual consent. He said that he spoke with a senior staff member of the court at 9pm on Sunday and informed him that Bushra Bibi was in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and could reach the court by 11am. He further said that the court official agreed and asked them to appear at the said time.

The senior official mentioned by the PTI leader was approached by Dawn to confirm this claim, but despite multiple attempts, he did not respond.

According to Mr Chaudhry, when the PTI legal team, comprising Barrister Gohar Ali Khan, Salman Akram Raja, and himself, reached the prison, the judge had already left. Due to the absence of his legal team, PTI founder Imran Khan did not appear in court.

Bushra Bibi also arrived after the judge had left.

Besides Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, property tycoon Malik Riaz, his son Ali Riaz Malik, former accountability advisor Mirza Shahzad Akbar, Zulfi Bukhari, Farhat Shahzadi alias Farah Gogi, and lawyer Ziaul Mustafa Naseem are named in the reference.

They have been declared absconders by the court because of their persistent absence.

`No deal` Reacting to the development, PTI Chairman Gohar Ali Khan asserted that the postponement was `not the outcome of any deal`. `Attempts are being made to give the impression that a deal is being done. There is no deal. The trial court`s attitude towards us [PTI] has been unjust,` the PTI interim chairman, flanked by Mr Raja, told reporters outside Adiala.

He said that before they entered the Adiala jail, the judge had already decided to postpone the hearing until January 17. Mr Raja, referring to the ongoing talks between the PTI and the government to defuse political tensions, clarified that it was incorrect if anyone wanted to imply that the decision was delayed because of those. `We will not enter into any deal,` the PTI leader said.

Barrister Gohar added, `Imran has said that the Al-Qadir Trust case decision should be announced. We can see it written on the walls that we have been repeatedly wronged.

Meanwhile, Aleema Khan, sister of the PTI chief, claimed the verdict was to be announced at 10:30am, adding that she reached there on time. `Some were told that the decision would be announced at 11am,` she said while speaking to reporters outside Adiala.

She added that Imran had been waiting for the verdict in the case for about a month as he wanted to appeal the casein a high court.

`I think the government is under a lot of pressure because the entire world is watching,` she said.

Bushra`s bail rejected A local court rejected Bushra Bibi`s interim bail in three cases related to the PTI`s protest on November 26. The court extended her bail in another case.

Additional District and Sessions Judge Muhammad Afzal Majoka presided over the hearing of pre-arrest bail applications in three cases.In a separate hearing before Judge Chaudhry Aamir Zia, Bushra Bibi`s lawyer argued for her pre-arrest bail in another case.

After reserving its decision, the court extended Bushra Bibi`s interim bail in the fourth case and accepted her exemption from attendance. The next hearing is scheduled for January 23.