Senator Faisal Vawda on Sunday claimed that the conviction of incarcerated former prime minister Imran Khan in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust reference was inevitable and called the mega corruption scam an “open-and-shut case”. His remarks came as an accountability court in Rawalpindi is set to announce its eagerly awaited judgment in the £190 million case against PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi on Monday (today). Judge Nasir Javed Rana will announce the verdict in the case at 11am at the Adiala Jail. Addressing a press conference in Karachi, Vawda remarked: "The £190 million reference is an open-and-shut case. The PTI founder committed a crime and will face punishment." The 71-year-old cricketer-turned-politician has been behind bars since August last year after he was sentenced in Toshakhana case-I — one of the dozens of cases registered against the former premier since his ouster from power in April 2022. "When Khan was signing it, I warned him that it would lead to a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) case," the senator revealed. Firing a fresh salvo at his former party boss, Vawda said: "Being popular doesn't mean you're above everything else." Without naming anyone, he alleged that Khan's close aides conspired to have him killed. Praising the army, Vawda, known for his close ties to the establishment, lauded the security forces for their unparalleled sacrifices in restoring peace in the country. Dismissing rumours, he asserted that there was no external pressure or backdoor dialogue between the former ruling party and the establishment at the time. He urged the PTI to demonstrate sincerity in its negotiations with the coalition government. Responding to a question, Vawda said: “There is good news for Pakistan’s economy. The backdoor diplomacy by Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Asim Munir will benefit the country.” “Something good is going to happen starting Monday,” he added. Without elaborating further, the senator noted that the government intended to announce the news and said he would let them take the credit. It is worth noting that the verdict in the £190 million case against the jailed former prime minister and his spouse has been delayed multiple times owing to various reasons. The judgment was most recently postponed on January 6 due to the judge being on leave. The anti-graft watchdog had filed the reference against Khan, Bushra, and others in December 2023 over the purported settlement. As per the charges of the case, Khan and other accused allegedly adjusted Rs50 billion — £190 million at the time — sent by Britain’s National Crime Agency (NCA) to the Pakistani government as part of the agreement with a property tycoon. Subsequently, the then-prime minister got approval for the settlement with the UK crime agency from his cabinet on December 3, 2019, without disclosing the details of the confidential agreement. It was decided that the money would be submitted to the Supreme Court on behalf of the tycoon. According to NAB officials, the PTI founder and his wife obtained land worth billions of rupees from the property tycoon, to build an educational institute, in return for striking a deal to give legal cover to the property tycoon’s black money received from the UK crime agency. Later, the Al-Qadir Trust was established in Islamabad a few weeks after the PTI-led government approved the agreement with the property tycoon. The accountability watchdog arrested the PTI founder on November 13 last year in connection with the said case. NAB then interrogated Khan and Bushra for 17 days in the Adiala Jail. The trial began after filing of the NAB reference on December 1, 2023. On 27 February 2024, charges were formally filed against the couple. Notable witnesses against the PTI founder included his former cabinet member Pervez Khattak, former federal minister Zubaida Jalal, ex-principal secretary Azam Khan, and the chief financial officer of the Al-Qadir University. The court also declared six co-accused, including Zulfi Bukhari, Farhat Shahzadi, Mirza Shahzad Akbar and Zia-ul-Mustafa Nasim, as absconders, ordering the freezing of their assets and bank accounts. During the proceedings, the Islamabad High Court granted bail to the disqualified premier in the £190 million reference, while the trial court approved pre-arrest bail for Bushra. The PTI founder-chairman submitted a list of 16 witnesses to the court, but the request to summon them was rejected. Over the course of the case, four judges were replaced with Judge Muhammad Bashir, Judge Nasir Javed Rana, Judge Muhammad Ali Warraich, and then again Judge Rana presiding over the hearings.