Imran Khan, former Pakistan leader, and his wife sentenced to 14 years in prison
Bushra Bibi and Imran Khan (Getty Images)
Imran Khan, who used to be Prime Minister of Pakistan, and his wife, Bushra Bibi, have been sentenced to 14 years in jail, accused of corruption. It is the second ruling within two days for Pakistans's ex-leader after he was given a 10-year prison sentence for leaking classified state documents, according to CCN and Reuters.
The recent court case focused on accusations related to state gifts that Khan and his wife received while in office. The court has also ordered the couple to pay a fine of about 1.5 billion rupees ($5.3 million). Both deny accusations of selling or keeping state gifts for personal profit. Khan has already been in detention, also for corruption charges.
According to his political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), the case was politically motivated and their legal team will contest the decision in a higher court. The politician faces rulings just a week before the country's elections, set for February 8. The sentencing also disqualifies Khan from future political work for 10 years.
Khan's lawyers say he wasn't given a fair chance to defend himself. "No cross questioning allowed, no final argument concluded and decision pops up like a pre-determined process in play," the statement said
Khan responded to his sentence, saying it is “a fixed match whose outcome was predetermined”.
Khan and his wife are accused of unlawfully selling presents worth over 140 million rupees ($501,000) that were allegedly given to them during his time as the leader of the country. Officials claim Khan's helpers sold these gifts in Dubai. The gifts include perfumes, diamond jewelry, dinner sets, and seven watches, with six of them being Rolexes. The priciest watch, a "Master Graff limited edition," is valued at 85 million rupees ($304,000).
Imran Khan
He served as the 22nd Prime Minister of Pakistan between August 2018 and April 2022. Amid the political and constitutional crisis in Pakistan, a no-confidence motion against Imran Khan led to his removal from office.
Despite facing various legal issues and being unable to contest the upcoming elections, Khan remains influential. His speeches are banned on TV. Many PTI members have been arrested.
