Pakistan court hands Imran Khan, wife 17-year jail terms in another graft case

A Pakistani court on Saturday sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to 17 years in prison each in a corruption case involving the under-priced purchase of luxury state gifts, the court and Khan's lawyers said.

The latest conviction adds to a series of legal troubles for Khan, who has been behind bars since August 2023 and faces dozens of cases filed since he was ousted from office in 2022, ranging from graft to anti-terrorism and state secrets charges.

Khan has denied wrongdoing in all the cases, which his party says are politically motivated.

"The court announced the sentence without hearing the defence and sentenced 17 years imprisonment to Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi with heavy fines," Khan's family lawyer Rana Mudassar Uemr Umer told Reuters.

They were handed 10 years' rigorous imprisonment under Pakistan's penal code for criminal breach of trust and a further seven years under anti-corruption laws, along with fines of 16.4 million rupees each, the court said.

The case relates to luxury watches gifted to Khan by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during official visits, which prosecutors said Khan and his wife then purchased from the state at a heavily discounted price in violation of Pakistan's gift rules.

ANOTHER STATE GIFTS CONVICTION

The case is separate from an earlier state gifts prosecution linked to Khan’s August 2023 arrest. Earlier sentences of 14 years for Khan and seven years for Bushra Bibi were later suspended on appeal. The couple denies wrongdoing.

The cases are commonly known in Pakistan as the Toshakhana cases, referring to the state repository where gifts received by public officials are deposited.

Khan, a former cricket star turned politician, remains one of Pakistan's most polarising figures, with his legal battles unfolding as his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party remains sidelined from power.