Pakistan’s ex-PM Imran Khan, spouse sentenced to jail in corruption case – INA NEWS

Islamabad, Pakistan – Pakistan’s former Prime Minister I.an Khan was on Friday sentenced to 14 years in jail, and his spouse Bushra Bibi to seven years in a case associated to the misuse of authority and corruption involving Khan’s Al-Qadir College Undertaking Belief.

Khan was additionally given a nice of 1 million Pakistani rupees ($3,500), whereas Bibi was fined half that quantity.

An accountability court docket working from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, the place Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023, had reserved its verdict in December final yr and deferred the announcement thrice. Bibi was arrested from the court docket premises.

Khan, who didn’t seem earlier than the court docket on January 13 when the choice was delayed for a 3rd time, had earlier claimed the delays had been an try to “pressurise” him.

This marks the fourth main case by which the previous prime minister has been convicted.

Three earlier convictions, introduced in January final yr, had been associated to promoting state items, leaking state secrets and techniques, and illegal marriage, all of which had been overturned or suspended. Regardless of this, Khan stays behind bars, with dozens of circumstances pending towards him – a scenario he describes as a political witch-hunt.

Khan was first arrested in reference to the Al-Qadir Belief case in Could 2023, spending lower than two days in detention. Nonetheless, the arrest led to nationwide protests throughout which Khan’s supporters rioted in a number of cities.

Faisal Fareed Chaudhry, Khan’s lawyer, condemned the choice as a continuation of “bogus persecution” towards Khan and his spouse.

“It’s maybe the one case the place the Nationwide Accountability Bureau (NAB) couldn’t set up a lack of even a single penny,” the lawyer advised Al Jazeera.

Chaudhry added that NAB failed to offer proof of any monetary loss to the state or any connection between the Al-Qadir Belief and private monetary achieve for Khan or his household.

“Prison proceedings towards Khan and Bushra Bibi weren’t confirmed throughout prosecution. Your entire case is politically motivated. I fail to know how establishing a belief constitutes a battle of curiosity,” the lawyer mentioned.

The cost sheet accused Khan and his spouse of buying land price billions of rupees (tens of millions of US {dollars}) for the Al-Qadir Belief from Malik Riaz, a outstanding property tycoon in Pakistan, to ascertain a nonprofit instructional institute for the poor.

The NAB alleged that Khan, as prime minister from August 2018 to April 2022, made a quid professional quo cope with Riaz, enabling him to launder greater than $239m. This allegedly brought on vital losses to the nationwide treasury.

Based on the NAB, the federal government of Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf (PTI) gave authorized cowl to Riaz’s black cash, which had been recovered by the UK’s Nationwide Crime Company and handed over to the Pakistani authorities.

Khan was ousted from energy in April 2022 through a parliamentary vote of no confidence, which he attributes to a conspiracy involving the nation’s navy and the USA, allegations each have denied.

Pakistan’s navy has held vital political affect, ruling the nation straight for practically three a long time since its formation in 1947, and was as soon as seen as Khan’s benefactor and architect of his rise to energy, earlier than the 2 fell out. Whereas no prime minister in Pakistan’s historical past has accomplished their tenure, three of 4 navy dictators dominated for practically a decade every.

The verdicts towards Khan and his spouse coincide with ongoing negotiations between the PTI and the present authorities of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on a number of points, together with Khan’s launch.

Islamabad-based lawyer Hafiz Ahsaan Khokhar mentioned that the case concerned exhaustive proceedings, with no less than 100 hearings up to now yr.

“The core concern is cash laundering, and NAB provisions are express relating to dishonesty and misuse of authority by public workplace holders. Moreover, each the Supreme Courtroom and the federal cupboard had been misled, and state cash was unlawfully redirected for private achieve,” Khokhar advised Al Jazeera.

Political analyst Majid Nizami mentioned the Al-Qadir Belief case stands out among the many dozens towards Khan because of the in depth documentation and time taken for prosecution.

“This case has lasted the longest, with 1000’s of pages of proof introduced. There have been actually irregularities warranting investigation,” Nizami advised Al Jazeera.

Nonetheless, the analyst additionally highlighted the lengthy historical past of political victimisation in Pakistan. “As a substitute of specializing in justice, our historical past exhibits we are likely to concentrate on vindictiveness. On this case, too, the discourse will revolve round political victimisation fairly than the deserves or demerits of the case,” he added.

With three rounds of negotiations already held between the federal government and PTI, Nizami fears the conviction would possibly derail the talks.

“When talks started, it was agreed that dialogue would proceed whatever the verdict, however the conviction could pressure these efforts,” the Lahore-based Nizami warned.

He recommended that inner divisions inside PTI would possibly resurface, with factions supporting resistance doubtless prevailing over these advocating for persistence and dialogue.

“This might as soon as once more result in a extra aggressive stance by PTI going ahead,” he mentioned.