Federal Constitutional Court Rejects Bushra Bibi’s Plea to Suspend £190m Case Sentence

ISLAMABAD: The Bushra Bibi sentence suspension petition ended on Wednesday when a two-member Federal Constitutional Court bench, headed by Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan, dismissed her plea for suspension of her seven-year sentence in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case.

The Bushra Bibi sentence suspension petition and the court’s decision

The bench turned down Bushra Bibi’s application seeking suspension of her sentence while her appeal is decided, as reported by The News. Barrister Salman Safdar represented her, and Salman Akram Raja was also present.

An Islamabad accountability court had sentenced her to seven years’ imprisonment and a Rs500,000 fine on January 17, 2025; Imran Khan received 14 years and a Rs1 million fine in the same case. She remains at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail.

The medical argument behind the plea

The appeal contended that, as a woman with a serious medical condition, she was entitled to suspension. Her team cited the first proviso to Section 497(1) of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which contemplates relief for women and the seriously ill.

Her counsel said her eyesight was deteriorating rapidly, and that delay in deciding the appeal was putting her remaining eyesight at serious risk. The court had reserved its decision on the plea’s maintainability before announcing the dismissal.

How the case travelled from the IHC to the FCC

Bushra Bibi and Imran Khan first moved the Islamabad High Court for suspension of sentence in July 2025. The high court dismissed their requests in May 2026, noting that their appeals against conviction had already been fixed for hearing.

The Supreme Court’s office returned the petitions as not maintainable, explaining that the remedy lay exclusively before the Federal Constitutional Court under Section 32-A of the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999. Bushra Bibi moved the FCC on July 30, 2026, after earlier seeking an early hearing of the plea.

The FCC has handled several accountability-law matters this year, including its ruling barring second review petitions and its decision on the chief justice’s roster powers. Suspension pleas in other high-profile cases have followed similar routes, including Imaan Mazari’s bail proceedings and a recent ATC bail hearing involving Imaan Mazari and Hadi Chattha.

The £190m case: NCA funds and the Al-Qadir Trust

The case stems from allegations that in 2019, Rs50 billion, then worth £190 million, sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency to the Pakistani government was improperly adjusted during Imran Khan’s tenure.

The sum related to a property tycoon’s assets seized by the NCA, which said the money was meant for Pakistan’s government and described its settlement as “a civil matter, and does not represent a finding of guilt”.

NAB filed its reference in December 2023, and charges were framed on February 27, 2024. Prosecutors allege the NCA settlement was approved by then-prime minister Imran Khan on December 3, 2019, without disclosing the confidential agreement’s details. Both deny the allegations.

What happens next

The dismissal does not change the original conviction. Bushra Bibi remains at Adiala Jail, and the main appeals against conviction, earlier adjourned indefinitely by the Islamabad High Court, are still pending.

Frequently asked questions

Why did the FCC reject Bushra Bibi’s suspension plea?

A two-member bench headed by Chief Justice Aminuddin Khan dismissed the application after reserving its decision on maintainability. The seven-year sentence stands.

What sentence is Bushra Bibi serving?

An Islamabad accountability court sentenced her to seven years’ imprisonment and a fine of Rs500,000 on January 17, 2025, in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust case. She is held at Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.

What was the medical argument in the petition?

Her appeal argued that, as a woman with a serious medical condition, she was entitled to suspension under the first proviso to Section 497(1) CrPC. Her team said her eyesight was deteriorating.

Can she still appeal against the conviction?

Yes. The pending appeals against conviction are unaffected and remain before the courts.

What is the £190m case about?

The case concerns allegations that Rs50 billion, worth £190 million at the time and returned to Pakistan by Britain’s NCA, was improperly adjusted in 2019, with undue favours allegedly given to a property tycoon.

Tags: Bushra Bibi, Al-Qadir Trust case, Federal Constitutional Court, £190m case, Imran Khan, Adiala Jail, NAB