Imran Khan was handed a 14-year jail on Wednesday in a land corruption case. The former Pakistan Prime Minister and his wife Bushra Bibi have been convicted of accepting a gift of land from a real estate tycoon in exchange for laundered money when he was in power.
Prosecutors say the businessman, Malik Riaz, was then allowed by Khan to pay fines that were imposed on him in another case from the same laundered money of 190 million British pounds ($240 million) that was returned to Pakistan by British authorities in 2022 to deposit to the national exchequer.
What is the verdict?
Imran Khan has been sentenced to 14 years imprisonment while his wife Bushra Bibi was given seven years in a land corruption case. The former Pakistan PM has been convicted for "corrupt practices" and “misuse of authority”, while his wife has been convicted for “involvement in illegal activities”.
The PTI leader was also fined ₹1 million while his wife incurred a penalty of half a million rupees. Failure to pay the fine will entail an additional six months of imprisonment for Khan and three months for . The court also ordered the confiscation of the land of Al-Qadir University set up by them.
What is the case?
Khan was convicted over charges that he and his wife had been gifted land in exchange for illegal favours during his stint at PM. The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party maintains that the land — worth up to 7 billion rupees — was donated for charitable purposes. The court however upheld that the land was gifted by a real estate developer as a bribe through a trust created in 2018.
The verdict was announced by Judge Nasir Javed Rana of the anti-corruption court on Friday afternoon. The makeshift court was convened on the premises of Adila jail where Khan has been lodged since August 2023. His wife was arrested from the court after the sentencing.
(With inputs from agencies)
Catch all the Business News , Breaking News Events and Latest News Updates on Live Mint. Download The Mint News App to get Daily Market Updates.