Khan’s notice of motion refused

The Suva High Court has rejected a motion filed by Imran Khan seeking to vacate his guilty plea in a case concerning the violation of a restraining order. The decision was delivered by Justice Thusara Rajasinghe, who presided over the hearing this morning.

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Khan’s claims of being unable to fully understand the consequences of his guilty plea were not reasonable because he was asked by the court whether he was threatened or was under pressure to plead guilty, which he refuted.

Khan had entered a guilty plea on the 11th of last month. He subsequently argued that he had not fully comprehended the implications of his plea. However, the court found these claims unconvincing, particularly noting that Khan had affirmed he was not threatened or pressured into pleading guilty when questioned by the court.

The court further emphasized that Khan explicitly stated he pleaded guilty of his own volition and agreed with the presented summary of facts. His representation by legal counsel at the time of the plea was also a significant factor. Justice Rajasinghe concluded that there was insufficient grounds to accept the change of plea, especially since his previous counsel had apparently characterized the matter as civil or regulatory.

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Khan told the court that he pleaded guilty of his own free will, and he agreed to the summary of facts that was put to him.

Mitigation arguments were presented in court today, following the filing of sentencing submissions last week. Imran Khan is now scheduled to be sentenced next Tuesday.

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Rajasinghe stated that there is no reason to accept the change of plea because the previous counsel explained this as a civil or regulatory matter.