Imran Khan sentenced to 14 years in a corruption case

Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been sentenced to 14 years in prison in a corruption case, the latest in a series of charges against him.

This is the longest jail term for a cricket star-turned-politician has been detained since August 2023received

He has been charged in more than 100 cases, ranging from leaking state secrets to selling government gifts – all of which he said were politically motivated.

The latest case has been described by Pakistani authorities as the biggest the country has seen – although the country has had huge financial scandals in the past, some involving former leaders.

Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were accused of receiving a piece of land as a bribe from a real estate tycoon through the Al-Qadir Trust, which the couple set up while he was in office.

In exchange, investigators said, Khan used 190 million pounds ($232 million) repatriated by Britain’s National Crime Agency to pay the tycoon’s court fines.

Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party claimed that the land was donated to a trust for a spiritual education center and was not used for Khan’s personal gain.

In a message on X, PTI chairman Gokhar Ali Khan said the former prime minister had “done nothing wrong” and that it was a “politically motivated unfair trial”.

“But (Imran Khan) will not yield, will not surrender, will not break,” he wrote.

Friday’s verdict came after numerous delays as Khan’s party negotiated with the government.

After his sentencing Friday, Khan told reporters in the courtroom that he “will not make a deal or seek any relief.”

Khan’s sentence of 14 years in prison is the maximum that could be handed down in the case. He was also fined more than £4,000.

His wife was jailed for seven years and fined more than £2,000. Bibi, who has been on bail since October last year, was remanded in custody in court after the verdict was announced.

In 2023, Khan was sentenced to three years in prison for failing to declare money received from the sale of gifts he received while in office.

Khan was sentenced to 14 years in prison last year for selling government gifts another 10 years for disclosing a state secret. Both sentences were suspended after several months.

Khan, despite being in prison and banned from public office looms large over Pakistan’s political scene. Imran Khan supported the candidates in last year’s elections winning the most seats from all parties.

The prosecution of Khan caused large-scale protests by his supporters – which they did faced repression from the authorities. Thousands of protesters were arrested and many injured in clashes with the police.