7 hours agoPakistani former prime minister sentenced to 14 years in prison for corruption
Periskopi(a year ago)
(a year ago)A court in Pakistan sentenced the country's former prime minister, currently in prison, Imran Khan, to 14 years in prison, already his wife to seven after finding them guilty of corruption, officials and lawyers said. The couple are accused of accepting a land gift from [...] when Khan was in power.
The couple are charged that when Khan was in power, they accepted a gift from a wealthy real estate in exchange for money laundering.
Prosecutors said the businessman, Malik Rizaz, was later allowed by Khan to pay fines he had been imposed for another case with the same money cleared of 190 British pounds (240m euros). This money was returned to Pakistan by British authorities in 2022 to be deposited in state treasury.
Khan has denied the charges and has insisted that since his arrest in 2023, all charges against him are conspiracy by rivals to keep him from competing for state office.
Khan, who became prime minister in 2018, fell from power through a no-confidence motion in Parliament April 2022.
Khan, 72, faces more than 150 criminal cases, even though he enjoys great popularity among the Pakistanis.
He and his political party, Pakistan Tehrik-Insaf (PTI), have said these cases are politically motivated.
Khan's decision was submitted to the court at the prison in Ravalpindi, where he is serving his sentence.
Local media reported that his wife, Bushra Bibi, was sent to custody shortly after the conviction was pronounced, as she was on parole.
Khan's lawyer, Faisal Chaundry, said the sentence would be appealed, as lawmakers from the PTI gathered outside parliament, saying the former prime minister was unjustly punished.
Through a statement, The PTI said the case against Khan and her wife “has lack of a solid base and is destined to fail”.
Some of Khan's supporters gathered outside the Adaila prison in Ravalpindi, chanted slogans against the government and demanded the release of the former prime minister.
Earlier, the former prime minister has been convicted of corruption charges, revealing state secrets and breaking marriage laws, and in three separate decisions, he has been sentenced to ten, 14 and seven years, respectively.
According to the law in Pakistan, he must serve all sentences, meaning the length of his imprisonment will be longer. REL
