Pakistan’s ex-PM Khan, wife sent to jail on 15-day remand in new graft case

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Monday sent former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to jail on a 15-day judicial remand in a new case relating to gifts acquired from the state repository, local media reported.
The reference, also called the new Toshakhana case, came to the fore after Pakistan’s accountability watchdog arrested the couple following their acquittal in an illegal marriage case on July 13.
The ex-premier, who has been in jail since last August, was convicted in four cases. Two of the cases have since been suspended and he was acquitted in the remaining two, including the illegal marriage case.
On Monday, Accountability Court Judge Nasir Javed Rana conducted hearing of the new Toshakhana case and remanded Khan and his wife into judicial custody for 15 days, Pakistan’s Geo News channel reported.
“The judge has also ordered to produce both Imran and his wife before the court on September 2,” the report read.
Khan and his wife appeared before the court after the expiry of their 10-day physical remand and submitted a written answer in response to a questionnaire by the accountability watchdog, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB).
Khan’s convictions had ruled the 71-year-old out of the February general elections as convicted felons cannot run for public office under the Pakistani law.
Arguably Pakistan’s most popular politician, Khan says the cases against him are “politically motivated,” aimed at keeping him from returning to power. Pakistani authorities deny this.
The ex-premier is also facing multiple cases relating to May 9, 2023 protests, which saw his supporters attack government and military installations over his brief arrest in a graft case.