Imran Khan’s wife was also convicted, in a case involving a charitable fund created by the couple
A Pakistani court today sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan to 14 years in prison for corruption, adding another sentence to the charismatic leader, who has been detained since 2023.
Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, was sentenced to seven years in prison in the same case.
The verdict comes amid negotiations between the Pakistani government and Khan’s opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, after months of intense political turmoil and street protests that demand above all the leader’s release.
“Imran Khan was sentenced to 14 years, while Bushra Bibi was sentenced to seven years,” PTI spokesperson Ahmed Janjua said in a statement.
The case involves a charitable fund created by Khan and his wife in 2018.
According to the charges, Khan and Bibi obtained land worth seven billion Pakistani rupees (23.3 million euros) as a bribe from real estate tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain.
In 2019, Hussain signed an out-of-court agreement with the United Kingdom’s National Crime Agency for the repatriation of 190 million pounds (233.3 million euros) to the Pakistani government in a money laundering case.
At the time, Khan’s office approved that the money be returned to the tycoon’s account, apparently in exchange for the land. The land was obtained in the name of Al-Qadir University Trust for the construction of a charitable university.
Bibi, who was present in the prison premises where the trial took place, was detained immediately after the verdict was announced.
The former prime minister, detained in August last year, is in the high security prison of Adiala, in the city of Rawalpindi, having been convicted of corruption, revealing official secrets and violating marriage laws.
