A Pakistani court on Saturday sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to 17 years in prison after finding them guilty of corruption.
The court’s decision is the latest blow to Khan, who has been accused in several cases since he was ousted in 2022.
Khan, who is 73, is in jail through 2023. He has denied the allegations, accusing Pakistani authorities of politically harassing him.
What was the case against Khan and his wife?
Khan and Bibi were found guilty of possessing, selling and under-selling state gifts while the former prime minister held office.
The gifts he was accused of selling at very low prices included jewelery from the Saudi Arabian government.
Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman gifted Khan and his wife a jewelery set made by Italian luxury brand Bulgari in May 2021.
Prosecutors said Khan and his wife had said the gifts were worth a little more than $10,000, far less than their actual market value of $285,521 (€243,780).
According to Pakistani law, government officials and politicians are allowed to retain gifts received from foreign dignitaries if they are under a certain value. To keep the gifts, they must purchase them at market value and declare the income from any sales.
Khan and Bibi were sentenced to 10 years for criminal breach of trust and seven years for corruption.
Saturday’s sentencing is separate from the earlier case against the couple. In that case, Khan and his wife were sentenced to 14 and seven years in prison, respectively.
What has been the reaction to Khan’s sentence?
Khan’s lawyer Salman Safdar said the couple would appeal the verdict.
A spokesman for Khan, Zulfikar Bukhari, condemned the sentence, which he said “raises serious questions about the fairness and impartiality of the process, which turns justice into a tool for selective prosecution.”
Khan’s party, the opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Party (PTI), also condemned the decision.
In a statement, it called the decision “a dark chapter in history.”
In a post on Twitter, the party said Khan’s family was prevented from coming to the court when the verdict was announced in Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail.
“The closed-door prison trial is neither free nor fair. In fact, it is a military trial,” PTI said.
While Khan’s supporters and the party condemned the verdict, Pakistan’s Information Minister Ataullah Tarar said the court had “given a fair verdict.”
Khan was removed from power in a no-confidence vote in April 2022. His PTI party is in opposition in Parliament.
Despite numerous corruption allegations, Khan – a former cricket star who captained the national team – remains a popular figure in Pakistan.
Edited by: Dmytro Lyubenko