A special court in Pakistan on Saturday sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to 17 years in prison in the state gift case (Toshakhana-II), a media report said.
Rana Muddasir Umar, Khan’s family lawyer, confirmed the sentence to Reuters, stating that the court announced the verdict without hearing the defence and imposed heavy fines.
According to the report, the Federal Investigation Agency’s special court ruled that the couple had violated trust, sentencing them to ten years rigorous imprisonment under the Penal Code and an additional seven years under anti-corruption laws.
Zulfi Bukhari, Khan’s spokesperson, said the verdict “ignores basic principles of justice” and has turned the process into “a tool for selective legal prosecution.”
Meanwhile, Salman Safdar, another of Khan’s lawyer, told reporters outside the court that Khan had instructed his legal team to appeal the decision at Islamabad’s High Court.
Pakistan’s Information Minister, Fawad Ataullah Tarar, stated that Khan’s prison term under this verdict would commence after serving 14 years in a previous land embezzlement case.
Earlier, a Pakistani court had convicted Khan and his wife in another corruption case, sentencing them to 14 years and seven years respectively. Both are currently serving their sentences in prison.
kk/ma
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