A Pakistani court has sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan to 14 years in prison for his involvement in a high-profile land corruption case.
Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, has also been sentenced to seven years in prison.
The couple was accused of accepting a valuable gift of land from real-estate tycoon Malik Riaz in exchange for laundered money during Khan’s tenure as Prime Minister.
According to Judge Nasir Javed Rana, “The prosecution has proven its case. Khan is convicted.” This ruling led to Khan’s immediate arrest, as reported by local news sources.
Khan’s spokesman has since released a statement claiming that the case against Khan and his wife lacks solid foundation and is likely to collapse.
The spokesman said, “All evidence and witness testimonies confirm that there has been no mismanagement or wrongdoing. Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi are merely trustees with no further involvement in the matter.”
However, prosecutors argue that Khan allowed Malik Riaz to pay fines imposed on him using the same £190 million ($240 million) of laundered money that was returned to Pakistan by British authorities in 2022.
Khan has consistently denied any wrongdoing, attributing the charges to a plot by his rivals to prevent him from returning to office.
He had previously faced convictions on charges of corruption, revealing official secrets, and violating marriage laws, receiving sentences of 10, 14, and seven years, respectively.
Under Pakistani law, Khan is required to serve these sentences concurrently, with the length of the longest sentence being the determining factor. Interestingly, Khan was later acquitted in the same case.
