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 serving prison sentence for a cricket star-turned-politician in custody since August 2023received
He has faced charges in more than 100 cases, ranging from leaking state secrets to selling state gifts – all of which he has described as politically motivated.
The latest case has been described by Pakistani authorities as the biggest the country has seen – even though the country has seen huge financial scandals in the past, some involving former leaders.
Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were accused of receiving the land as a rip-off from the real estate tycoon through the Al-Qadir Trust, which the couple set up while in office.
In exchange, according to investigators, Khan used £190 million ($232 million) repatriated by Britain’s National Crime Agency to pay court fines to the tycoon.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) argued that the land was donated to a trust for a spiritual education center and was not used for Khan’s personal benefit.
In a post on X, PTI chairman Gohar Ali Khan said the former prime minister had “done nothing wrong” and that it was a “politically motivated unfair trial”.
“But (Imran Khan) won’t give up, won’t give up, won’t break,” he wrote.
Friday’s verdict comes after several delays as Khan’s party negotiated with the government.
After his sentencing on Friday, Khan told reporters in the courtroom that he “will not enter into any plea agreement or seek any assistance.”
Khan’s prison sentence of 14 years is the maximum that can be imposed in the 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 out on bail since last October, was remanded in court after the sentence was announced.
In 2023, Khan was sentenced to three years in prison for failing to declare money received from the sale of gifts he received in office.
Last year, Khan received 14 years in prison for selling state gifts and next 10 years for divulging a state secret. Both of these sentences were suspended months later.
Despite being in prison and banned from holding public office, Khan still dominates the Pakistani political scene. Imran Khan ran in last year’s election to win the largest number of mandates from all sides.
Khan’s prosecution sparked widespread protests from his supporters – which they were met with a crackdown by the authorities. Thousands of protesters were arrested and many injured in clashes with the police.