ISLAMABAD: A Pakistani court on Saturday sentenced former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, to 17 years in prison each in a graft case, dealing another major legal blow to the jailed opposition leader who faces a string of cases.
The reference, popularly called the new Toshakhana case, was filed in July 2024 and involves a jewelry set worth over €380,000 gifted to the former first lady by a foreign dignitary when Khan was prime minister from 2018-2022.
The couple, accused of undervaluing the gift and buying it at a lesser price from the state repository, were indicted in the case in Dec. last year. In October, they denied the charges against them, saying the case was a “politically motivated” attempt to disqualify Khan from politics.
Both Khan and his wife were handed down 10-year rigorous imprisonment under sections 34 (common intention) and 409 (criminal breach of trust) of the Pakistan Penal Code, and seven years under Section 5(2) (criminal misconduct by public servants) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
“This court, while passing sentences has considered the old age of Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi, as well as the fact that Bushra Imran Khan is a female,” read a copy of the court verdict.
“It is in consideration of both said factors that a lenient view has been taken in awarding lesser punishment.”
The couple have also been fined Rs16.4 million ($58,531).
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party declared the verdict to be “unconstitutional” and “mala fide.”
“At the time of sentencing, neither Imran Khan’s nor Bushra Bibi’s legal counsel was present, nor was the family allowed to attend the proceedings,” the party said in a statement.
“Fundamental requirements of due process and fair trial were deliberately violated, amounting to a gross mockery of justice, law, and the Constitution.”
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said the verdict was “based on justice,” saying state gifts were “fraudulently undervalued” to pay a smaller amount to the government.
Khan, who has been in jail since August 2023, faces a slew of cases which the former premier says have been politically motivated.
His PTI party has long campaigned against the military and government, accusing the generals of ousting him together with his rivals. Khan’s opponents deny this, while the military says it does not meddle in politics.
On Friday, an anti-terrorism court (ATC) acquitted Khan aide and former foreign minister, Shah Mahmood Qureshi, but awarded 10-year prison sentences to senior PTI figures, including Dr. Yasmin Rashid, Mian Mehmood-ur-Rashid, Omer Sarfraz Cheema and former senator Ejaz Chaudhry in a case linked to violent riots in May 2023.
