Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has been imprisoned since August 2023, was sentenced to an additional 14 years in prison on corruption charges on Friday at a court hearing at Rawalpindi's Adiala Jail.
Khan was ousted as prime minister in a vote of no confidence in April 2022. His attempts to return to politics were thwarted by around 200 intense criminal investigations, many of them involving corruption and abuse of power. His supporters tried to protect him from arrest for a long time and rioted when he was finally taken into custody. Despite his imprisonment, he remains one of Pakistan's most popular politicians, and his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party continues to thrive despite intense political and military pressure. They are doing well in the elections.
Khan is was tried and found not guilty While he has been indicted on some of the charges against him, others keep him behind bars. of Fee The charges for which he was found guilty on Friday involve Al-Qadir University Projects Trust, an organization that helped Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi engage in bribery and influence peddling. Prosecutors claim it was a cover.
The trust was supposed to acquire land to build a non-profit school for poor youth, but prosecutors alleged Mr. Khan used the land to: wash Approximately $239 million in funding was provided by a real estate mogul named Malik Riaz. The funds were seized from Rias and returned to the Pakistani government by the UK in 2022.
The plan involves Riaz handing over a large sum of valuable assets to Khan's trust, while Khan uses $239 million transferred by the British government to pay off various fines levied against the real estate mogul. It is said to have included use in
Bushra Bibi, who attended Khan's prison trial, said: declared She was sentenced to seven years in prison for her involvement in the al-Qadir trust and was arrested in Adiala prison.
Bibi was released in October after serving nine months in prison for illegally selling gifts that were effectively given to the Pakistani state during Khan's time as prime minister. In November she guided Massive PTI demonstrations were held in Islamabad demanding Khan's release. Bibi has also cultivated a reputation as a spiritual leader and expert on Sufi Islamic mysticism.
P.T.I. released A statement condemning the “politically motivated” sentences handed down against Khan and Bibi.
“While we await detailed decisions, it is important to note that the Al Qadir Trust case against Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi has no solid basis and is certain to collapse,” the party said. said.
“This is a bogus lawsuit and we plan to appeal this decision to the Court of Appeals.” added PTI senior leader Omar Ayub Khan.
khan and vivi reportedly They smiled and laughed when the verdict was handed down against them. Khan posted on social media after his sentencing, telling his supporters that the charges against him were false and that he would continue his efforts to get out of prison.
“I will never accept this dictatorship. I will remain in solitary confinement for as long as necessary to fight this dictatorship, but I will not compromise my principles and the fight for true freedom of the country,” he said. said. Said.
Khan's lawyer, Faisal Fareed Chaudhry, called the verdict against his client a “false persecution” and said Pakistan's anti-corruption authorities “failed to recognize a penny of loss” in the case. said.
Pakistan's Information Minister Attaullah Tallah hit back, telling reporters that the evidence in the “huge corruption scandal” of Mr. Khan and Mr. Bibi was “irrefutable.”
Several Pakistani legal and political analysts said Al Jazeera News on Friday said that despite Khan's bravado, the Al Qadir Trust case is one of the longest and most well-documented charges brought against a former prime minister. I told you. This was also the most serious corruption charge against Khan based on total amount.
“The central issue is money laundering and NAB (National Audit Bureau) regulations are clear regarding fraud and abuse of power by public officials.Furthermore, both the Supreme Court and the Union Cabinet have been misled. , state funds were illegally diverted for personal gain,” said Islamabad lawyer Hafiz Ahsan Khokhar.
“This case lasted the longest, with thousands of pages of evidence submitted. There was certainly some misconduct that merited investigation,” said political analyst Majid Nizami.
Nizami felt that the new prison sentence could derail PTI's attempts to negotiate Khan's early release with the Pakistani government. This could lead to another outbreak of street demonstrations by Khan's supporters.
“When talks began, we agreed to continue dialogue regardless of the verdict, but the conviction could put a strain on these efforts,” Nizami said.
