Ruling against Khan and wife Bushra Bibi comes just a day after a 10-year sentence was handed down, and just before Pakistan goes to the polls in a general election

Pakistan’s former prime minister Imran Khan has been sentenced to 14 years in jail in a corruption case, just a day after he was given a 10-year sentence for leaking state secrets.

Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, was also handed a 14-year sentence in the case, known as Toshakhana, which accused them both of illegally selling state gifts. The judge also banned them both from holding political office for 10 years.

The sentence, given at a hearing held in the Rawalpindi prison where Khan is being held, further worsens the plight of the beleaguered former prime minister, who has been in jail since August and is facing over a hundred different charges.

  • morrowind@lemmy.ml
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    10
    ·
    9 months ago

    fyi, for anyone not following the issue, this is entirely to prevent him from being a political threat.

    • Sʏʟᴇɴᴄᴇ@lemmy.dbzer0.com
      link
      fedilink
      English
      arrow-up
      2
      arrow-down
      2
      ·
      9 months ago

      Thanks for this. I was going to comment that corruption charges in India must either be punitive or politically motivated because it’s literally everywhere. I don’t think India in its current state would function without corruption.

  • AutoTL;DR@lemmings.worldB
    link
    fedilink
    English
    arrow-up
    2
    ·
    9 months ago

    This is the best summary I could come up with:


    Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, was also handed a 14-year sentence in the case, known as Toshakhana, which accused them both of illegally selling state gifts.

    The Toshakhana verdict came just a day after a special court, also held in prison, found Khan guilty of leaking state secrets in relation to a sensitive diplomatic cable that allegedly went missing in his possession.

    The timing of both consecutive convictions was deemed as significant by observers, coming just a week before Pakistan goes to the polls in its long-delayed general election.

    This is Khan’s second sentencing in the Toshakaha case, which related to allegations that the former prime minister bought several gifts given by rulers and government officials at low prices and then sold them on for an undeclared profit.

    The anti-graft watchdog alleged that Khan and his wife had received 108 gifts from heads of state and foreign officials, some worth millions of rupees, during his term as prime minister and that many had been illegally kept or sold by the pair.

    Since he was removed from office in a vote of no-confidence, Khan began to publicly criticise the country’s powerful military who have long been accused of meddling in politics.


    The original article contains 563 words, the summary contains 199 words. Saved 65%. I’m a bot and I’m open source!