Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan has been given a 14-year jail sentence in a land corruption case, a defence lawyer has said.
The verdict in the case followed allegations of possible bribery involving land, which was exchanged for favours by real estate developer Malik Riaz Hussain.
It is linked to the Al Qadir Trust that Mr Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi established while he was in office. Prosecutors say this was a front for the former prime minister.
Mr Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party insists the land was not for personal gain, and instead was meant for a spiritual educational institution.
It is the largest case of alleged financial wrongdoing against Mr Khan and was delivered by an anti-graft court in a prison in Rawalpindi, where the former prime minister has been jailed since August 2023.
The 72-year-old, also a World Cup-winning cricketer, was removed from office in 2022 by a vote of no confidence. He claims he has faced more than 150 criminal cases since then.
Ms Bibi was also convicted in the land corruption case. Local outlet Geo News reported that she was taken into custody shortly after the verdict, having been out on bail.
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The PTI said in a statement: “Whilst we wait for detailed decision, it’s important to note that, the Al Qadir Trust case against Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi lacks any solid foundation and is bound to collapse.”
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The case centres on the use of £190m that the UK repatriated to Pakistan in 2019 after Hussain forfeited cash and assets in a British criminal probe.
Mr Khan was alleged to have then used the money to pay fines against the tycoon for the illegal acquisition of government lands at below-market value.
Former interior minister Rana Sanaullah alleged Hussain gave land in Jhelum and Islamabad to the Al Qadir Trust in exchange for that favour.
Including the Al Qadir Trust corruption case, Mr Khan has been charged with graft and misuse of power, and has also been accused of inciting violence against the state after being removed from office.
He has been acquitted or had his sentence suspended in most cases, including ones for leaked state secrets and two other corruption sentences.
In July last year, Mr Khan and Ms Bibi were acquitted of unlawful marriage charges, only for the former prime minister to be arrested again over three cases linked to violence against the military and other state bodies in Lahore on 9 May 2023.
Mr Khan’s latest conviction comes just a day after the PTI held formal reconciliatory talks with the government.
