ISLAMABAD, Jan 31:
Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were sentenced today to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment in a corruption case, dealing another blow to the jailed leader, a day after he was handed a 10-year jail term for leaking sensitive state secrets.
The verdict by an accountability court, which comes eight days before the February 8 general elections, has added to the legal woes of the 71-year-old cricketer-turned-politician who is already serving a three-year jail term after being convicted of corruption in another case.
Khan’s party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (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.
Accountability Court Judge Mohammad Bashir conducted the hearing at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, where the former premier is incarcerated.
In the Toshakhana corruption case, he was accused of retaining expensive state gifts they received during his tenure as Pakistan’s premier.
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, 49, did not appear before the court on Wednesday.
At the outset of the hearing, 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,” Khan said.
Following the verdict, Bushra Bibi arrived at the Adiala jail and surrendered before the authorities.
“Why are you in a hurry? Even yesterday, the conviction was announced in haste,” the ex-prime minister said, referring to the verdict in the cipher case a day earlier.
“My lawyers are not here yet. I will submit the statement after showing it to them when they come,” Imran said, adding that he had appeared before the court only to mark his attendance.
He then exited the courtroom, after which the court sentenced the ex-premier and his wife in absentia.
The judge in the case had also convicted another former premier Nawaz Sharif in July 2018 ahead of elections.
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 every 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,” PTI said in a post on X. (PTI)
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