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.
It is the longest active prison term served by the cricket star-turned-politician in custody since August 2023he received.
He has faced charges in more than 100 cases, from leaking state secrets to selling government gifts – all of which he has denounced as politically motivated.
The latest case has been described by Pakistani authorities as the biggest the country has seen – although the country has seen major financial scandals in the past, some involving former leaders.
Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi are accused of receiving a plot of land as a bribe from the real estate tycoon through the Al-Qadir Trust, which the couple set up while he was in office.
In return, investigators said, Khan used 190 million pounds ($232 million) returned 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 foundation for a spiritual education center and was not used for Khan’s personal gain.
In a post on X, PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan said the former prime minister “has done nothing wrong” and that this is a “politically motivated unfair trial”.
“But [Imran Khan] it will not yield, it will not give up, it will not break,” he wrote.
Friday’s ruling comes after multiple delays while Khan’s party held talks with the government.
After being sentenced on Friday, Khan told reporters in the courtroom that he was “not going to make any deal or ask for any leniency.”
Khan’s prison sentence of 14 years is the maximum that can be imposed in this case. He was also fined more than £4,000.
His wife was sentenced to seven years and fined more than £2,000. Bibi, who has been free on bail since October last year, was brought to court after the sentencing.
In 2023, Khan was sentenced to three years in prison for failing to declare money earned from selling gifts he received while in office.
Last year, Khan was sentenced to 14 years in prison for selling government gifts, and another 10 years due to disclosure of state secrets. Both sentences were suspended a few months later.
Despite being imprisoned and barred from holding public office, Khan continued looms over the Pakistani political scene. In last year’s elections, the candidates were supported by Imran Khan win the most seats from all parties.
Khan’s prosecution sparked massive protests from his supporters – which they were came under attack from the authorities. In clashes with the police, thousands of protesters were arrested, and many were injured.
