Imran Khan, wife sentenced to 14 years in jail in Toshakhana case
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Islamabad: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were on Wednesday sentenced to 14 years in prison in the Toshakhana case days before the general elections in the country.
Khan and his wife were also barred from holding any public office for 10 years and slapped with a fine of Rs 787 million each. Bushra Bibi did not appear before the court on Wednesday.
The sentence was pronounced by Judge Moham¬mad Bashir at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail where Khan is incarcerated. The Judge in the case had also convicted another former premier Nawaz Sharif in July 2018 ahead of elections.
Bushra Bibi, 49, reached the Adiala jail after her conviction in the case and offered her arrest.
Pakistan goes to polls on February 8. The latest blow comes just a day after the 71-year-old cricketer-turned-politician was handed a 10-year jail term in the cipher case, involving the leaking of sensitive state secrets.
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Khan is already serving a three-year jail term after being convicted of corruption.
The Toshakhana corruption case refers to a series of corruption charges levelled against Khan for allegedly submitting fake details of gifts worth millions that he received while in office from foreign governments.
Reacting to the verdict, PTI's current chief Gohar Khan said the judgment only served to lower the respect of the judiciary.
“The accused were not given time and the process was hurried to conclude the trial,” he said, adding that the defence was not given the right of cross-examination.
“Complete destruction of any existing law in Pakistan in 2 days. Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi have faced yet another kangaroo trial in which no right to defence was given to both. Like cipher, this case has no basis to stand in any Higher court. It’s shameful how a complete disregard and mockery of law is in place,” the party said in a post on X.
PTI faced numerous troubles before the election starting with the denial of its election symbol, the cricket bat, to the rejection of nomination papers of Khan, former foreign minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi and several other party leaders.
Last month, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a fresh case against the two in an accountability court for retaining a jewellery set received from the Saudi crown prince against undervalued assessment.
Also Read: Imran Khan claims party will surprise voters on poll day Feb 8
Khan told the court that his wife had nothing to do with the case and was being humiliated by being forcibly dragged into it.
At the outset of the hearing on Wednesday, Judge Bashir asked Khan if he recorded his statement. To this, the former premier said that he would submit his statement once his lawyers came.
"I have been deceived as I was only called to mark my attendance for the hearing," said the PTI founder.
The latest conviction and sentencing are Khan's third since 2022 when he was ousted from power. Previously, Khan was convicted in the Toshakhana case on August 5, and sentenced to three years' imprisonment.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) later suspended his sentence. However, a division bench had later rejected Khan's petition seeking the suspension of the conviction.
According to reports, Khan and his wife received 108 gifts from various heads of state, out of which they kept 58 gifts. They were also undervalued by them while paying a mandatory price to the state.
Under the rules governing Toshakhana - a Persian word meaning "treasure house" - government officials can keep gifts by paying a price for them but first the gift should be deposited. The two either failed to deposit the gift or got it for a low price by allegedly using their authority.
With PTI inputs
