Toshakhana reference
\nDefence lawyer questions flaw in estimation report mentioning diamond\u2019s weight in \u201cgramme\u201d instead of \u201ccarat\u201d
\nRAWALPINDI
\nA witness in the Toshakhana reference against the incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on Saturday spotted a \u201cclerical error\u201d in a jewellery item\u2019s specification report.
\nThe accountability court judge Muhammad Bashir in Rawalpindi conducted the hearing of the Toshakhana reference at the Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi.
\nAt the outset of the hearing, two witnesses recorded their testimonies before the court, whereas, the lawyers cross-examined one of the witnesses who conducted an estimation of the expensive Toshakhana gifts including a jewellery set and a bracelet watch to ascertain its market value.
\nThe witness, in his statement, confirmed that his company had been approached by Pakistan\u2019s Consul General in Dubai to conduct an estimation of the said jewellery set and the bracelet watch.
\nHe detailed he was given the responsibility to search market value of the jewellery articles which he had completed and submitted an estimation report to the consul\u2019s office in Dubai.
\nIn his statement, the witness said that the estimated value of the pricey Graff jewellery set was $19.492 million.
\nThe witness apprised the court that diamond experts and jewellery manufacturers were approached. Besides, a complete market survey was conducted for the preparation of the estimation report he added.
\nHe, however, admitted that the specification list of the article was not provided to the investigation officer (IO).
\nThe defence lawyer also raised questions over a flaw in the estimation report as the diamond\u2019s physical weight was mentioned in \u201cgramme(s)\u201d instead of \u201ccarat(s)\u201d. The witness termed it a \u201cclerical error\u201d.
\nDuring cross-examination, the defence lawyer questioned the credibility of the entire approximation process of the state gifts acquired by the PTI founder from the Toshakhana.
\nThe counsel queried whether the consul general had been handed over a report prepared by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB). The witness denied the claim.
\nThe lawyer further questioned the reasons for not providing the estimation report to the IO if the market survey was not conducted in real.
\nTo this, the witness also rejected claims against the estimation process. However, he admitted that the input documents from the diamond expert were also not handed over to the IO.
\nResponding to another query, the witness said that the monetary value of diamonds could neither be ascertained through their colour nor photos but specifications.
\nAfter the lawyer completed cross-examination, the accountability court adjourned the hearing till January 23.
\nOn January 9, an accountability court had indicted Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana reference filed against them by NAB.
\nThe decision was announced during a hearing in Adiala jail \u2014 where the former prime minister is currently incarcerated in the case.
\nA five-member special prosecution team of the anti-graft watchdog had perused the reference against the duo.
\nAccountability court Judge Muhammad Bashir had conducted the hearing of Toshakhana and \u00a3190 million cases in the prison. <\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Toshakhana reference Defence lawyer questions flaw in estimation report mentioning diamond\u2019s weight in \u201cgramme\u201d instead of \u201ccarat\u201d RAWALPINDI A witness in the Toshakhana reference against the incarcerated Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan on Saturday spotted a \u201cclerical error\u201d in a jewellery item\u2019s specification report. The accountability court judge Muhammad Bashir in Rawalpindi conducted the […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-381998","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","6":"category-top-news"},"yoast_head":"\n