ALBAWABA - A Pakistani court, convened for a special session on Saturday, handed down a 17-year prison sentence to former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi. The ruling stemmed from a corruption case concerning the purchase of high-value jewelry at a nominal cost.
Judge Shah Rukh Arjumand delivered the verdict following eighty hearings conducted within the confines of Adiala Jail.
Rana Madathir Omar, the Khan family's lawyer, stated that the court delivered its verdict without allowing the defense to present its case. He also pointed out that both Imran and Bushra had been hit with substantial fines.
Imran Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party pushed back against the court's ruling. They took to X, stating that the "closed-door trial inside the prison" wasn't just unfair; it was a "sham trial," essentially a military trial, they argued.
The court's ruling detailed that the two individuals received a ten-year sentence of hard labor, as dictated by Pakistan's penal code, for violating trust. Furthermore, they were handed an extra seven years, this time under the country's anti-corruption statutes. They were each hit with a fine of 16.4 million rupees.
Khan has consistently rejected any allegations of misconduct, maintaining that the charges against him are driven by political agendas, a claim echoed by his supporters.
Khan, now 73, has been incarcerated on various sentences since 2023. These stem from convictions in corruption and related cases, which the former cricket star and his backers claim are politically motivated attempts to thwart his ambitions. Bushra Bibi, his wife, also found herself convicted of bribery. She's currently doing her time in the same prison. However, supporters say they're only permitted to meet in court.
Imran Khan's premiership ended in April 2022, ousted by a parliamentary no-confidence vote. Following Khan's arrest, Pakistan experienced violent confrontations between his supporters and the security forces.
