A Pakistani court on January 31 sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan to 14 years in prison for corruption related to his handling of official gifts while in office.
The total of two prison sentences for Mr. Imran Khan has reached 24 years. Photo: WSJ
His wife, Bushra Bibi, was also charged with the alleged gift-trading and was sentenced to 14 years in prison. In addition to the prison sentence, the court also banned both Mr. Khan and his wife from holding any political office for 10 years.
The verdict, delivered at a hearing held at the Rawalpindi jail in Punjab state where Mr Khan is being held, further worsens the plight of the former prime minister, who has been in jail since August and faces more than a hundred different charges.
The latest verdict against Mr Khan and his wife came just a day after a special court, also in the same prison, found him guilty of leaking state secrets in connection with a sensitive diplomatic cable that is believed to have gone missing. Mr Khan has denied the charges and his lawyers have said he will appeal.
The timing of both convictions is seen by observers as significant, coming just a week before Pakistan goes to the polls in a long-delayed general election. Despite being barred from running, the 71-year-old remains popular with a significant portion of voters.
This is the second conviction of former Prime Minister Khan in the Toshakaha case, which involves allegations that he bought several gifts from international leaders and officials at cheap prices and then resold them for profit without declaring them.
Mr Khan, who served as prime minister from 2018 to 2022, was accused of undervaluing some of the gifts when he bought them, while some were illegally kept or sold by the couple.
Mr Khan was initially sentenced to three years in prison in the case in August, but after the high court overturned the verdict, proceedings resumed after investigators presented new evidence relating to jewellery given by the Saudi crown prince and allegedly kept by Mr Khan and his wife.
Quang Anh
Source
Comment (0)