Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were convicted in the £190m Al-Qadir University Project Trust case on Friday. Imran Khan was given 14 years in prison, while Bushra Bibi got a seven-year jail term.
The verdict, which had been delayed three times, was delivered by Judge Nasir Javed Rana in a makeshift courtroom at Adiala Jail. The court also sentenced Imran and Bushra with a fine of Rs 1 million and Rs 500,000 respectively.
If they did not pay off the fine they would be added six months into their jail terms. The sentence was announced behind tight security in front of Adiala Jail, and after the verdict was announced, Bushra Bibi was arrested from the courtroom.
The couple was officially indicted in the case on 27 February, 2024, just weeks after the general elections.
Speaking to the media outside Adiala Jail before the hearing, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan said, "You can guess the injustice that has occurred over the last two years.". If a fair decision is made, Imran and Bushra will be acquitted."
The case alleges that Imran and Bushra Bibi received billions of rupees and land worth hundreds of kanals from Bahria Town Ltd in exchange for legalising Rs 50 billion, which had been identified and returned to Pakistan by the United Kingdom during the previous PTI government, Dawn reported.
The verdict, that was scheduled to be announced on December 23, was further postponed due to winter vacations and rescheduled for January 6. But it was further delayed as the judge, Nasir Javed Rana, was on leave, and on January 13, the hearing was further delayed because Imran and Bushra failed to appear in the courtroom at Adiala Jail.
Imran Khan has been in jail since August 2023 in several related cases, which he insists are politically motivated. Recently, he was acquitted of the cipher and Iddat cases but faces new charges in the Toshakhana 2 case.
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