Pakistan's former PM Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi sentenced to 17 years in another graft case

A Pakistani court has sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan to 17 years in prison for corruption during his time in office, Dawn reported, marking another major legal setback for Khan, who has been imprisoned since 2023.

Special Judge Shahrukh Arjumand of an anti-graft court handed Khan the maximum sentence for illegally undervaluing and acquiring expensive gifts from the national treasury while serving as premier.

The court also convicted his wife, Bushra Bibi, to the same prison term in the case.

The verdict, delivered by the special judge at Adiala Jail, Rawalpindi, concerns the alleged undervaluation and retention of expensive gifts from the national treasury during Khan’s tenure.

At the centre of the case is a Bulgari jewellery set gifted in May 2021, which prosecutors claim was acquired illegally at a throwaway price, Dawn reported.

The court noted Khan’s age and Bushra Bibi’s gender in granting a “lenient view in awarding lesser punishment,” according to the order obtained by Dawn.

Indicted in December 2024, Khan and Bushra Bibi denied all allegations, calling the case “malicious, fabricated, and politically engineered,” Dawn reported. Khan insisted the gift had been reported to the PM Office protocol section and legally retained under the Toshakhana Policy 2018.

The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) slammed the proceedings as a “kangaroo court,” criticising the closed-door trial. Family members, including Khan’s sister Aleema, were reportedly denied entry to the jail, which PTI described as illegal.

Khan is already serving a 14-year sentence in a separate £190 million corruption case and faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act. Bushra Bibi is also serving a 7-year sentence in the same corruption case.

Legal teams for Khan and Bushra Bibi plan to appeal the verdict in a higher court, indicating that the legal battle is far from over, Dawn reported.