Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi had been sentenced to 14 years in jail on Wednesday in a corruption case for retaining costly state presents when he was in energy, dealing one other blow to the jailed former Pakistan premier, a day after he was handed a 10-year jail time period for leaking delicate state secrets and techniques.
The decision, which comes eight days earlier than the February 8 common elections, has elevated the authorized woes of the 71-year-old cricketer-turned-politician who’s already serving a three-year jail time period after being convicted of corruption.
Khan’s social gathering, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) confronted quite a few troubles earlier than the election beginning with the denial of its election image, the cricket bat, to the rejection of nomination papers of Khan, former overseas minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and a number of other different social gathering leaders.
Accountability Court docket Decide Mohammad Bashir performed the listening to at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, the place the previous premier is incarcerated, within the Toshakhana corruption case.
Khan and his spouse had been additionally barred from holding any public workplace for 10 years and slapped with a tremendous of Rs 787 million every. Bushra Bibi didn’t seem earlier than the courtroom on Wednesday.
Bushra Bibi, 49, reached the Adiala jail after her conviction within the case and provided her arrest. he Decide within the case had additionally convicted one other former premier Nawaz Sharif in July 2018 forward of elections.
Reacting to the decision, PTI’s present chief Gohar Khan mentioned the judgment solely served to decrease the respect of the judiciary. “The accused weren’t given time and the method was hurried to conclude the trial,” he mentioned, including that the defence was not given the best of cross-examination.
Final month, the Nationwide Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a contemporary case in opposition to the 2 in an accountability courtroom for retaining a jewelry set acquired from the Saudi crown prince in opposition to undervalued evaluation.
Khan advised the courtroom that his spouse had nothing to do with the case and was being humiliated by being forcibly dragged into it.
On the outset of the listening to on Wednesday, Decide Bashir requested Khan if he recorded his assertion. To this, the previous premier mentioned that he would submit his assertion as soon as his attorneys got here. “I’ve been deceived as I used to be solely known as to mark my attendance for the listening to,” mentioned the PTI founder.
The sentence comes only a day after a particular courtroom established below the Official Secrets and techniques Act sentenced Khan and Qureshi to 10 years in jail for the breach of state secrets and techniques.
The newest conviction and sentencing are Khan’s third since 2022 when he was ousted from energy.
Beforehand, Khan was convicted within the Toshakhana case on August 5, and sentenced to a few years’ imprisonment. The Islamabad Excessive Court docket (IHC) later suspended his sentence, nevertheless, a division bench had later rejected Khan’s petition in search of the suspension of the conviction.
In response to studies, Khan and his spouse acquired 108 presents from varied heads of state, out of which they stored 58 presents. They had been additionally undervalued by them whereas paying a compulsory value to the state.
Beneath the foundations governing Toshakhana – a Persian phrase that means “treasure home” – authorities officers can hold presents by paying a value for them however first the present ought to be deposited. The 2 both did not deposit the present or received it for a low value by allegedly utilizing their authority.