Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi Handed Lengthy Jail Sentences in Al-Qadir Trust Corruption Case.
In a major blow to the political career of former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan, a court in the country has sentenced him to 14 years in prison for his involvement in the high-profile Al-Qadir Trust corruption case.
Additionally, Khan’s wife, Bushra Bibi, has been awarded a 7-year jail term for her role in the same scandal. The verdict was delivered by an Islamabad accountability court, where Bushra Bibi was present to hear the decision.
The case revolves around the alleged misuse of authority and corruption related to Khan’s Al-Qadir University Project Trust.
The duo were indicted on February 27 last year, shortly after the controversial general elections in Pakistan. Imran Khan has been incarcerated since August 2023 in connection with a series of legal cases, which he has dismissed as “politically motivated.”
The case was filed by Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which alleged that Khan played a “pivotal role” in the illicit transfer of funds that were intended for the state but were instead deposited into an account designated for land payments by Bahria Town Karachi.
The NAB claimed that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi received billions of Pakistani rupees and hundreds of canals of land from Bahria Town Ltd in exchange for legalizing Rs50 billion, which had previously been identified and repatriated to Pakistan by the United Kingdom during Khan’s administration.
According to sources close to Imran Khan, the court’s verdict was “on the expected lines.” They alleged that “the judges were already told by the army to deliver on certain lines” and claimed that Khan was not given a fair trial during the proceedings.
The conviction of Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi in the Al-Qadir Trust case is the latest development in the former prime minister’s ongoing legal troubles, which have seen him embroiled in a series of cases since his removal from power in 2022.
The lengthy sentences handed down by the court are likely to have significant political implications in Pakistan, where Khan’s supporters have denounced the charges as “politically motivated.”
