Islamabad (Pakistan), Jan 17: In a landmark verdict, a Pakistan court on Friday convicted former Prime Minister Imran Khan in the 190 million pounds Al-Qadir Trust corruption case and sentenced him to 14 years in prison.
Khan’s wife Bushra Bibi was also found guilty in the case and has been awarded seven years jail term. She had been out on bail and was arrested immediately after the conviction.
According to news agency PTI, Judge Nasir Javed Rana of the anti-corruption court delivered the verdict. It had been postponed three times for various reasons, with the most recent one on January 13.
Several analysts have suggested that the jail term is being used to pressurize Khan to accept a deal with the military and step back from politics.
"I will neither make any deal nor seek any relief," Khan told reporters inside the court room following his conviction.
Notably, the graft case involves former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, relating to allegations of corruption and illegal dealings during Khan's tenure as Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022.
The case revolves around a real estate developer reportedly gifting land to Khan and his wife in exchange for political favors. This land deal was allegedly connected to the couple's charitable organization, the Al-Qadir Trust, which they established together.
The prosecution claims that the land was given to them in return for favors granted by Khan's government, which constitutes the £190 million (50 Billion Pakistani Rupee) financial wrongdoing.
Khan, who has been held in custody since August 2023, and his wife have both pleaded not guilty to the charges.
The conviction is the latest development in a series of legal battles that Khan has been facing since his ousting from office in 2022.
Khan, who has been charged with around 200 cases, said that the cases are politically motivated and designed to stop him from returning to power. He has previously received four convictions. Two of them were overturned, while the sentences in the other two were suspended. However, he has been in prison due to pending cases.
