Imran Khan and wife sentenced for state gift fraud

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have been sentenced to further jail terms following a fraud case involving state gifts.

They were convicted of breaking Pakistan’s rules on gifts after Bibi was given a luxury jewellery set by Saudi Arabia’s Mohammed bin Salman during a 2021 state visit.

The pair are already serving time in prison for earlier convictions, and the new sentences – 10 years for criminal breach of trust and seven years for criminal misconduct, and a fine – will reportedly run concurrently to their earlier terms.

Khan has described the charges as politically motivated and his lawyer told BBC News his team plan to challenge the verdict.

Speaking to the BBC after the sentencing, the former prime minister’s lawyer, Salman Safdar, said Khan’s legal team had only been informed about the sentencing late on Friday night, after normal court hours.

They planned to mount a challenge to the verdict in the high court, Mr Safdar said.

This case is the latest in a series of charges laid against the cricket star-turned-politician, who has been detained since August 2023. In January, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison over a separate corruption case.

He has faced charges in more than 100 cases, ranging from leaking state secrets to selling state gifts. The BBC has been unable to confirm the exact number brought against him.

The jewellery case, referred to as Toshakhana 2 in Pakistan, concerns a Bulgari jewellery set given to Bushra Bibi by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a state visit in 2021, according to court documents.

Under Pakistan’s rules on state gifts, these items go to Pakistan’s Toshakana department (state treasury), but politicians are able to purchase the items back.

Khan is alleged to have asked a private firm to undervalue the jewellery set, before purchasing it back at a significantly reduced price.

In addition to their jail terms, the pair were handed a fine of over 16 million Pakistani rupees (£42,600).

Khan has previously been acquitted in a separate Toshakhana case.

The former leader still has other cases outstanding against him.

These include terrorism charges relating to violent protests that took place on 9 May 2023, when he was previously arrested.

Khan was Pakistan’s prime minister until April 2022 when he was ousted in a vote of no confidence.

Although he has not been seen in public, his social media accounts have continued to operate with messages attributed to him on X often appearing after jail visits.

These have been highly critical of Pakistan’s current government and its politically powerful army Chief Field Marshall Asim Munir, including posts calling him a tyrannical dictator.

In November, he was denied any visitors for nearly a month.

After campaigning by his family and party, his sister was allowed to visit in early December; a few hours after she saw him, his account posted a comment credited to Khan calling the Field Marshall Asim Munir a “mentally unstable person”.

Khan has not been allowed any family visits since.

The judgement states the judge was lenient in sentencing because of Khan’s “old age”.