Pakistan Former Prime Minister Imran Khan sentenced to 14 years in prison
The former Prime Minister of Pakistan, Imran Khan, has been sentenced to 14 years in prison in a corruption case. Khan's co-defendant wife Bushra Bibi received seven years in prison.
17.01.2025, 10:09
SDA
The couple intend to appeal, as their defense lawyer told the television station Geonews after the court's decision in the megacity of Rawalpindi.
Khan and Bibi are accused of using their charity organization to build a university on a piece of real estate that was a gift from a businessman.
In return, the businessman is said to have received 190 million pounds (225 million euros), which British authorities had previously handed over to Pakistan and was supposed to flow into the state coffers.
The popular former prime minister has been in custody since August 2023 following a guilty verdict for corruption, and dozens of other criminal proceedings against him are ongoing.
Khan denies the allegations and sees himself as a victim of a justice system abused for political purposes. His supporters regularly protest for his release.
Time and again, prime ministers in the South Asian country with a population of more than 240 million are removed prematurely - like Khan in April 2022.
The powerful military, which has ruled half the time since the state was founded in 1947, is considered to be decisive for the rise and fall of politicians in the nuclear-armed state.
