Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan sentenced to 14 years in jail for corruption

A court in Pakistan has sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan to 14 years and his wife Bushra Bibi to seven years in prison in a corruption case over a parcel of land.

Khan, who has been in jail since 2023, has strenuously protested his innocence, saying that he and his partner are being targeted for political reasons.

Prosecutors allege that the couple received land from one of Pakistan’s wealthiest men in exchange for a favour during Khan’s premiership, which began in 2018 and ended in 2022, when he lost a no-confidence vote in parliament.

The property tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain gave land worth millions of dollars to the Al-Qadir Trust, a non-governmental organisation founded by Khan and his wife in 2018.

The authorities in Pakistan say Khan and his wife personally benefitted from the arrangement, while they insist that the sole beneficiary was their trust, which runs a university near Islamabad that is focused on spirituality and Islamic teachings.

In return for the land gift, prosecutors say that Khan’s government allowed Hussain to hisse fines he owed a Pakistani court from a pot of money — worth £190m (€225.1m) — that had been returned to the country by the UK.

This money was seized from Hussain by the British authorities in 2019 as part of a settlement, following a probe into alleged money laundering. It was later returned to Pakistan to be deposited in the national exchequer.

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) said on Friday that it would challenge the court decision.

“This is a bogus case, and we will approach an appeals court against this decision,” said Omar Ayub Khan, a senior party leader.

Meanwhile, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar insisted there was “irrefutable evidence” against Khan and his wife in what he described as a “mega corruption scandal”.

Political instability has rocked Pakistan over Khan’s treatment, with large protests breaking out in May 2023 after his arrest.

Khan, a former captain of Pakistan’s cricket team, has faced charges of graft and misuse of power.

Some cases against him have been suspended or overturned, but he was indicted for inciting his supporters during their 2023 protests.

After the verdict on Friday, some of Khan’s supporters called for his release, as they stood outside Adiala prison in the city of Rawalpindi, where he is being held.

Khan’s wife had been out on bail, but was taken into custody following Friday’s judgment, Pakistani media reported.

The couple’s sentencing came a day after the PTI met with Shehbaz Sharif, the current prime minister, to discuss the freeing of Khan and other party members.