A Pakistani court has sentenced former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra to 14 years in prison in a corruption case involving the sale of government property, Reuters reports. Khan is also prohibited from engaging in political activities for 10 years. Bushra Khan has been taken into custody.
A day earlier, Khan was sentenced to 10 years in prison on charges of disclosing state secrets. Accused along with Khan in this case was former Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, who also received a ten-year prison sentence.
Khan is one of the most influential politicians in Pakistan, the leader of the opposition Justice Movement party. His associates point out that the verdicts were handed down a week before the general elections, they believe that violations were committed during the investigation and trial and promise that the verdict will be appealed.
Imran Khan was removed as Prime Minister of Pakistan in April 2022. Since then, dozens of criminal charges have been brought against him, including terrorism. Khan’s supporters see the persecution as political.
In May 2023, when Khan was arrested for failing to appear in court, his supporters staged mass protests, during which at least nine people were killed and about 300 were injured. Khan was released amid protests.
In August 2023, the court nevertheless imposed a three-year prison sentence on Khan on corruption charges. The charges were also related to the sale of valuables from the state treasury, but at that time the wife of the former prime minister did not appear in the case. Khan denied the charges.
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2024-01-31 07:20:00
