Imran’s wife Bushra Bibi was also convicted in the land graft case. He was sentenced to seven years in prison.
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been sentenced to 14 years in jail in a land graft case.
The judge pronounced the verdict in a makeshift court set up inside Rawalpindi Central Jail Adiala. The court sits inside the jail for security reasons.
Imran’s wife Bushra Bibi has also been convicted in the Al-Qadir Trust case. He was sentenced to seven years in prison.
According to Pakistani media Dawn, the court also fined the couple. Imran has been fined 10 lakh Pakistani rupees and Bushra has been fined 5 lakh rupees. In default, they will have to suffer six months and three months more imprisonment respectively.
Tight security arrangements were made around Adiala Jail ahead of the verdict. Bushra Bibi was arrested from the courtroom after the verdict was announced, she was out on bail. Imran has been lodged in Adiala jail since August 2023.
Reuters writes that this is the largest sentence Imran (72) has received in financial corruption cases. The former cricketer and his wife were accused of gifting land to a real estate developer between 2018 and 2022 during Khan’s tenure as prime minister.
In court, Imran and Bushra pleaded not guilty. The verdict in the case was deferred thrice as the government held talks with Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf Pakistan (PTI).
The original date for pronouncing the verdict was December 23. But due to the winter holidays, the Accountability Court in Islamabad postponed the verdict until January 6. The verdict was not announced on January 6 as the judge was on leave.
“We are waiting for the details of the verdict,” PTI said in a statement. However, it is important to note that the Al-Qadir Trust case against Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi has no solid basis, so the case will not survive. ”
Imran lost power in April 2022 after losing a confidence vote in parliament. Since then, he has faced more than a dozen cases, including corruption, abuse of power and inciting violence against the state. In most cases, he has been acquitted or his sentence suspended.