PAKISTAN: MAN SENTENCED TO DEATH FOR MURDER OF US NATIONAL EX-WIFE

April 20, 2025:

An additional district and sessions judge (ADSJ) in Rawalpindi on April 9, 2025 handed down death sentence to a man for killing his US national ex-wife over an issue of property worth billions of rupees.
ADSJ Chaudhry Majid Hussain Ghadi in his verdict awarded death sentence to Riazwan Habib Bangesh for his ex-wife Wajiha Swati, who was a US citizen, in October 2021.
The convict was earlier given death penalty in November 2022 by a sessions judge but he appealed to the Lahore High Court for a retrial as his legal team maintained that the accused persons had not been heard by the trial court.
On conclusion of rehearing of the case, the ADSJ upheld the death sentence for Riazwan, who called Wajiha to Pakistan for reconciliation after their divorce and killed her. The convict buried the dead body in a room of the house of his servant Sultan in Lakki Marwat. The court also imposed the fine of Rs500,000 on the convict besides imposing extra jail term for kidnapping Wajiha, concealing the dead body and tempering with the evidence. The court also sentenced co-accused Sultan to seven years in prison and a Rs100,000 fine. The sentencing was announced in the presence of three US diplomats and an FBI officer, who expressed satisfaction over the outcome.
Initially, the convict reported Swati missing to Morgah police in Rawalpindi but later confessed to the crime during police interrogation.
Later, the victim’s son lodged the initial complaint from the United States via online FIR.
In 2022, ADSJ Chaudhry Majid Hussain Ghadi in his verdict also convicted Hurriatullah, father of Rizwan Habib. Hurriatullah later obtained the bail and died of illness. 
The US authorities are said to have monitored the proceedings throughout the case since 2021. The US forensic experts had confirmed death due to torture after a second autopsy conducted upon repatriation of the body to America. Government prosecutor Iffat Sultana represented the victim’s side in the trial.