Former prime minister of Pakistan Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were sentenced to 17 years each in prison on Saturday in a corruption case involving the underpriced purchase of state gifts.
The conviction is the latest legal problem for Khan, who has been behind bars since August 2023 and is serving a 14-year sentence in a separate land corruption case.
He faces dozens of cases filed since he was removed from office in 2022. They include corruption, antiterrorism and state secrets charges. Khan has denied wrongdoing in all the cases, which his party says are politically motivated.
“The court announced the sentence without hearing the defence and sentenced 17 years' imprisonment to Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi with heavy fines,” Khan's family lawyer Rana Mudassar Umer told Reuters.
They were given 10 years' imprisonment under Pakistan's penal code for criminal breach of trust and a further seven years under anti-corruption laws, the special court of Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency said in its verdict. Khan's jail term from Saturday's ruling will begin after he has served the 14 years from the land case, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said.
The case relates to luxury watches given to Khan by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during official visits, which prosecutors said Khan and his wife then purchased from the state at a heavily discounted price, in breach of Pakistan's gift rules. Mr Tarar said the purchase resulted in losses of several million rupees for the state.
Zulfi Bukhari, a representative for Khan, said the verdict “ignores basic principles of justice” and turns the process into “a tool for selective prosecution”. Khan has told his legal team to appeal against the decision at the Islamabad High Court, Salman Safdar, another of his lawyers, told reporters outside the jail where the trials were being held, Geo News said.
Earlier conviction
The case is separate from an earlier state gifts prosecution linked to Khan's August 2023 arrest. Sentences of 14 years for Khan and seven years for Bibi were suspended on appeal. The couple deny any wrongdoing.
The cases are commonly known in Pakistan as the Toshakhana cases, referring to the state repository for gifts received by public officials.
Following the verdict, Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party announced plans for protests across Punjab on Sunday.
The party says routine family and legal visits have been blocked in recent weeks, despite court orders. Authorities deny any mistreatment and say Khan has access to all prisoner facilities.
The former cricket star remains one of Pakistan's most polarising figures, with his legal battles unfolding as PTI remains sidelined from power.
