Toshakhana case: ECP says PTI chief bought gifts for 20pct amount

ISLAMABAD: Lawyer of Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) Amjad Pervaiz said the Pakistan Tehreek e Insaf (PTI) chief bought the gifts from Toshakhana by paying 20 per cent of its price, Bol News reported.

Presenting arguments during hearing of the Toshakhana case against the former prime minister, he said gifts of Rs107 million were bought for 20 per cent of their prices

Additional Sessions Judge Humayun Dilawal was hearing the case. PTI chief’s lawyer Niazullah Niazi was also present in the court. Niazullah Niazi requested the court to wait for orders of the Supreme Court and high court as their cases were fixed for hearing there. Humayun Dilawar said the ECP should present its arguments and it was up to Khawaja Haris whether to present his arguments or not. Niazullah said they would argue on the case but the cases were fixed in the NAB, SC and high court.

ECP Counsel Amjad Parvez said since the suspect himself submitted all the documents with his signature so there was no question on their being admissible. The suspect neither refused taking gifts from Toshakhana nor affirmed, instead he said it was all part of the record, he said.

The counsel said the suspect admitted what gifts he took from the Toshakhana. 58 gifts were received by the former prime minister and first lady, he said. He said 14 gifts were valued more than Rs30,000 each. As per their claim, they bought four gifts for Rs21,664,600.

In his reply, he said that the prosecution did not present any evidence that the value of the gifts was Rs107 million, while the prosecution had presented the evidence, Amjad Parvez said.

List of gifts was accepted, which included a watch, cufflinks, a watch and a ring, Rolex watches, iPhone and others, he said adding that gifts for 2018-19 were taken by paying 20 per cent.

“It was said that all the jewelery gifts were given to the Prime Minister’s wife. In Form B, nothing was written in the jewelery column. There is no word for valuable item in Form B. These details are being quoted to the court from the list provided by the suspect himself,” he said.

The ECP lawyer said those gifts were bought for Rs21.5 million and it was also acknowledged in the statement of 342. He said the gifts were worth Rs107 million which were bought for Rs21 million.

He said they bought gifts from Tosha Khana at 20% and they claimed outside the court that they bought them at 50% of their rates.

“Gifts worth Rs107 million were bought at 20 percent,” the election commission lawyer asserted.

He said in form B, in the jewelery column, it was written that there was no jewellery. If chain, pendant, bracelet, earrings were not jewellery, then what was, he wondered.

“If the accused’s expert comes, ask him what they say to these things,” he said.