Pakistani court sentences ex-PM Imran Khan and his wife to 14 and 7 years in prison in graft case

A Pakistani court connected Friday sentenced the country’s already-imprisoned erstwhile Prime Minister Imran Khan and his woman to 14 and 7 years successful jailhouse aft uncovering them blameworthy of corruption, officials and his lawyer said.

It's yet different stroke for the erstwhile premier who has been down the bars since 2023.

The mates are accused of accepting a acquisition of onshore from a real estate tycoon successful speech for laundered wealth erstwhile Khan was successful power.

Prosecutors accidental the businessman, Malik Riaz, was past allowed by Khan to wage fines that were imposed connected him successful different lawsuit from the aforesaid laundered wealth of 190 cardinal British pounds ($240 million) that was returned to Pakistan by British authorities successful 2022 to deposit with the nationalist exchequer.

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Khan has denied wrongdoing and insisted since his apprehension successful 2023 that each the charges against him are a crippled by rivals to support him from returning to office.

According to Khan’s ineligible team, Khan laughed and his wife, Bushra Bibi, smiled erstwhile justice Nasir Javed work the verdict.

Later, Khan and Bibi were taken into custody by situation officials aft the announcement of the verdict, according to officials. She had earlier served a situation condemnation successful different graft lawsuit until she was freed connected bail by a tribunal successful October. She precocious led a rally to request her husband’s release.

Later, a station from Khan’s relationship connected the X level urged his supporters not to panic implicit the verdict, nether which the al-Qadir University built by his wife's foundation volition besides beryllium taken implicit by authorities successful the Punjab province.

"I volition ne'er judge this dictatorship and I volition enactment successful the situation compartment for arsenic agelong arsenic I person to successful the conflict against this dictatorship, but I volition not compromise connected my principles and the conflict for the existent state of the nation," Khan wrote. Khan’s household has said specified posts are shared with his consent.

Faisal Chaudhry, a defence lawyer, said the tribunal verdict could beryllium challenged successful the superior courts.

Shortly aft the announcement of the verdict, lawmakers from Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, oregon PTI, enactment rallied extracurricular the parliament successful the capital, Islamabad, saying the erstwhile premier had been wrongly punished.

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"This is simply a bogus case, and we volition attack an appeals tribunal against this decision," said Omar Ayub Khan, a elder enactment person who is not related to the erstwhile premier.

Imran Khan was ousted successful a no-confidence ballot successful parliament successful April 2022, had antecedently been convicted connected charges of corruption, revealing authoritative secrets and violating matrimony laws successful 3 abstracted verdicts and sentenced to 10, 14 and 7 years respectively. Under Pakistani law, helium is to service the presumption concurrently — meaning, the magnitude of the longest of the sentences.

Some of Khan’s supporters were besides contiguous extracurricular the Adiala situation successful the metropolis of Rawalpindi, and they chanted slogans against the government, demanding the merchandise of their leader.

On Thursday, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar told reporters successful Islamabad that determination was "irrefutable evidence" against Khan and his woman successful the "mega corruption scandal." Tarar said that Khan adjacent did not archer his ain Cabinet members astir the wealth that was returned to Pakistan by Britain.

Tarar besides claimed that Khan built a caller sprawling location successful the eastbound metropolis of Lahore aft giving benefits to the concern tycoon, and that helium was incapable to beryllium that from wherever helium got the wealth from to physique it.

The latest improvement came a time aft Khan's PTI enactment held a important circular of talks with representatives of the authorities of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to request the merchandise of each governmental detainees, including Khan and different enactment leaders.

Sharif became premier curate pursuing the February 2024 election, which PTI claims was rigged.