Delhi
Imran Khan has been indicted on charges that he and his wife were gifted land by a real estate developer during his premiership from 2018 to 2022 in exchange for illegal favours.
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were found guilty of corruption in the 190 million pounds Al-Qadir Trust case and sentenced to 14 and seven years in prison respectively.
Judge Nasir Javed Rana of the anti-corruption court announced the verdict that had been deferred thrice due to different reasons, last time on January 13, news agency PTI reported.
The verdict in the case is the largest in terms of financial fraud committed by Khan, who has been jailed since August 2023 in Rawalpindi.
The former cricket star, 72, had been indicted on charges that he and his wife were gifted land by a real estate developer during his premiership from 2018 to 2022 in exchange for illegal favours.
Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, had pleaded not guilty. the announcement of the verdict was delayed three times, most recently on Monday, amid talks between the government and Khan’s party.
Bushra Bibi, who is in her late 40s and was out on bail, was taken into custody after she was also convicted in the case,reported.
“Whilst we wait for detailed decision, it’s important to note that, the Al Qadir Trust case against Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi lacks any solid foundation and is bound to collapse,” Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party’s foreign media wing said in a statement.
The verdict is the biggest setback for Khan and his party since a surprisingly good showing in the 2024 general election when its candidates – who were forced to contest as independents – won the most seats, but fell short of the majority needed to form a government.
Jailed since August 2023, Khan has been facing dozens of cases ranging from charges of graft and misuse of power, to inciting violence against the state after being removed from office in a parliamentary vote of confidence in April 2022.
He has either been acquitted or his sentences suspended in most cases, except for one on charges of inciting supporters to rampage through military facilities to protest against his arrest on May 9, 2023.
His supporters have led several violent protest rallies since the May 9 incidents.
