Imran Khan, former Pakistan PM, sentenced to 14 years in jail in land corruption case: Reports

Former Pakistan PM Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have been convicted in the 190 million pounds al-Qadir Trust case. While Imran was given a 14-year sentence, his wife was handed over a seven-year sentence.

An accountability court in Islamabad on Friday convicted Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, in the190 million pounds al-Qadir Trust case, Pakistani media reports. He was handed down a 14-year sentence, while his wife has been given a seven-year sentence. 

Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi slapped with heavy fines 

Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi have also been slapped with heavy fines, as the PTI founder will have to pay PKR 1 million in fines and his wife has been asked to pay PKR 0.5 million. 

The team of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), led by Prosecutor General Sardar Muzaffar Abbasi, was also present at Adiala jail to attend the announcement of the much-awaited verdict by Judge Nasir Javed Rana.

Bushra Bibi, including Barristers Gohar Khan, Shoaib Shaheen, Salman Akram Raja, and other lawyers were also present at the jail. 

After the announcement was made, Bushra was taken into custody, and sources reveal that her cell in the Adiala jail was already prepared.

What are the charges on Imran Khan? 

The case involving Imran Khan and his wife revolves around allegations that an amount of PKR 50 billion, which was returned to Pakistan by the UK's National Crime Agency as part of a settlement with a property tycoon, was misused.

The funds which were supposed to go to the national treasury were allegedly redirected for the personal benefit of the businessman who assisted Khan and Bibi in setting up a university.

Moreover, Bibi, as a trustee of the Al-Qadir Trust, is also accused of benefiting from this settlement, including acquiring 458 kanals of land for Al-Qadir University in Jhelum. 

Why was the verdict deferred multiple times? 

Judge Rana concluded the hearing in the case on December 18 but reserved the judgment until December 23. Later, he fixed January 6 as the date for announcing the verdict, Geo News reported. He was on leave on January 6 so the verdict was postponed until January 13. But the verdict was once again deferred as the accused and their lawyers were not present in the court on January 13.

The judgment comes amidst the ongoing negotiation between the government and Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party to address the political instability in the country due to the imprisonment of Khan and several other leaders of his party.

So far three rounds of talks have been held and the PTI has presented its charter of demands in writing to the government. Khan is facing dozens of cases after his ouster as prime minister in 2022. He has been jailed since August 2023.

(With PTI inputs)

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