Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan has been given a 14-year jail sentence in a land corruption case, officials and his lawyer have said.
The verdict in the case followed allegations of possible bribery involving land, which was exchanged for favours by real estate developer Malik Riaz Hussain.
It is linked to the Al Qadir Trust that Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi established while he was in office. Prosecutors say this was a front for the former prime minister.
It is the largest case of alleged financial wrongdoing against Khan and was delivered by an anti-corruption court in a prison in Rawalpindi, where the former prime minister has been jailed since August 2023.
Image: The former prime minister says he has faced 150 cases. Pic: Reuters
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party insists the land was not for personal gain, and instead was meant for a spiritual educational institution.
Bibi was also convicted in the land corruption case. Local outlet Geo News reported that she was taken into custody shortly after the verdict, having been out on bail.
The PTI said in a statement: “Whilst we wait for detailed decision, it’s important to note that, the Al Qadir Trust case against Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi lacks any solid foundation and is bound to collapse.”
Omar Ayub Khan, a senior PTI leader, added: “This is a bogus case, and we will approach an appeals court against this decision.”
The 72-year-old, also a World Cup-winning cricketer, was removed from office in 2022 by a vote of no confidence. He claims he has faced more than 150 criminal cases since then.
The land corruption case centres on the use of £190m that the UK repatriated to Pakistan in 2019 after Hussain forfeited cash and assets in a British criminal probe.
Khan was alleged to have then used the money to pay fines against the tycoon for the illegal acquisition of government lands at below-market value.
Former interior minister Rana Sanaullah alleged in 2023 that Hussain gave land in Jhelum and Islamabad to the Al Qadir Trust in exchange for that favour.
After Khan’s sentence, Pakistan’s information minister Marriyum Aurangzeb said it was the country’s largest corruption case.
Including the Al Qadir Trust corruption case, Khan has been charged with graft and misuse of power, and has also been accused of inciting violence against the state after being removed from office.
In July last year, Khan and Bibi were acquitted of unlawful marriage charges, only for the former prime minister to be arrested again over three cases linked to violence against the military and other state bodies in Lahore on 9 May 2023.
Please use Chrome browser for a more accessible video player
0:31
From November: Imran Khan supporters clash with police
Violent protests have broken sporadically since Khan was jailed.
In November, at least six people were killed and almost a thousand protesters were arrested over demonstrations to free the former prime minister.
Khan’s latest conviction comes just a day after the PTI held formal reconciliatory talks with the government in a bid to restore stability.
President-elect Donald Trump has announced the appointment of actors Mel Gibson, Jon Voight and Sylvester Stallone as ambassadors to help make Hollywood "bigger, better and stronger".Mr Trump said on his social media platform Truth Social the actors, all supporters of the president-elect, had been appointed as his "special envoys" to the world-famous filmmaking hub, which he described as a "great but very troubled place". The 78-year-old Republican, who will take […]
Post comments (0)