Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan and wife sentenced to jail in corruption case. imran khan news
Islamabad, Pakistan – Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Friday and his wife Bushra Bibi was sentenced to seven years in prison in a case related to abuse of power and corruption linked to Khan’s Al-Qadir University Project Trust.
Khan was also fined 1 million Pakistani rupees ($3,500), while Bibi was fined half that amount.
An accountability court operating from Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, where Khan is imprisoned since August 2023, had reserved its verdict in December last year and postponed the announcement thrice. Bibi was arrested from the court premises.
Khan, who had not appeared in court on January 13 when the verdict was delayed for the third time, had earlier claimed that the delay was an attempt to “pressurize” him.
This is the fourth major case in which the former Prime Minister has been convicted.
Three prior convictions, announced in January last year, related to selling state gifts, leaking state secrets and unlawful marriage, all of which were overturned or suspended. Despite this, Khan remains behind bars, with dozens of cases pending against him – a situation he describes as political witch-hunt.
Khan was first arrested in May 2023 in connection with the Al-Qadir Trust case, spending less than two days in custody. However, the arrest led to nationwide protests, during which Khan’s supporters rioted in several cities.
Khan’s lawyer Faisal Farid Chaudhry condemned the verdict as a continuation of the “fake persecution” against Khan and his wife.
“This is probably the only case where the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) could not prove the loss of even a single penny,” the lawyer told Al Jazeera.
Chaudhry said the NAB failed to provide evidence of any financial loss to the state or any connection between the Al-Qadir Trust and personal financial gain of Khan or his family.
“The criminal proceedings against Khan and Bushra Bibi were not proved during the prosecution. The whole matter is politically motivated. “I fail to understand how setting up a trust becomes a conflict of interest,” the lawyer said.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party supported Chaudhry in its first statement on the decision.
“While the party awaits a detailed verdict, it is important to note that the Al Qadir Trust case against Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi has no solid foundation and is destined to collapse,” PTI said. “All the evidence and testimony of witnesses confirms that there was no mismanagement or wrongdoing. Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi are only trustees and have no other involvement in this matter.
The chargesheet accused Khan and his wife of acquiring land worth billions of rupees (millions of US dollars) for the Al-Qadir Trust from Malik Riaz, a prominent Pakistani property tycoon, to set up a non-profit educational institution for the poor. Went.
The NAB alleged that Khan, during his tenure as prime minister from August 2018 to April 2022, struck a quid pro quo deal with Riaz, allowing him to launder more than $239 million. This reportedly caused huge loss to the national exchequer.
According to NAB, the PTI government had given legal protection to Riaz’s black money, which was recovered by the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency and handed over to the Pakistani government.
Khan was ousted from power in April 2022 through a parliamentary no-confidence motion, which he attributes to a conspiracy involving the country’s military and the United States, charges both of which he denies.
Pakistan’s military has held significant political influence, having ruled the country directly for nearly three decades since its formation in 1947, and before differences of opinion broke out between the two, it was regarded as a benefactor of Khan and the architect of his rise to power. Was seen in. While no prime minister in Pakistan’s history has completed his full term, three of the four military dictators ruled for nearly a decade.
The verdicts against Khan and his wife coincide with ongoing talks between the PTI and the current government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif over a number of issues, including Khan’s release.
Islamabad-based lawyer Hafiz Ahsan Khokhar said the case involves extensive proceedings, with at least 100 hearings held in the past year.
“The main issue is money laundering, and NAB provisions are clear regarding dishonesty and abuse of power by public office holders. Additionally, both the Supreme Court and the federal cabinet were misled, and state money was illegally redirected for personal gain,” Khokhar told Al Jazeera.
Political analyst Majid Nizami said the Al-Qadir Trust case is one of dozens against Khan because of the extensive documentation and time taken for prosecution.
“This case dragged on for the longest time, with thousands of pages of evidence presented. “There were definitely irregularities that needed to be investigated,” Nizami told Al Jazeera.
However, the analyst also highlighted the long history of political oppression in Pakistan. “Instead of focusing on justice, our history shows we focus on vengeance. In this case also, the discussion will revolve around political persecution rather than the merits of the case.
Three rounds of talks have already taken place between the government and PTI, with Nizami fearing that the conviction could derail the talks.
“When the talks began, it was agreed that talks would continue regardless of the verdict, but the sentence could derail these efforts,” warned Lahore-based Nizami.
He suggested that internal divisions within the PTI could re-emerge, with factions supporting resistance overshadowing those advocating patience and negotiations.
“This may lead to PTI once again adopting a more aggressive stance in the future,” he said.
