Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan has been sentenced to 14 years in prison for a corruption case, the latest in a series of charges against him.
This is the longest prison sentence ever given to the cricket star turned politician, who has been detained since August 2023.
He has faced charges in more than 100 cases, ranging from leaking state secrets to selling state gifts — all of which he has said were politically motivated.
The latest case has been described by Pakistani authorities as the largest the country has seen – even though the country has witnessed huge financial scandals in the past, including some involving former leaders.
Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were accused of receiving a plot of land as a bribe from a real estate tycoon through the Al-Qadir Trust, which the couple established while he was in power.
In exchange, investigators say, Khan used £190 million ($232 million) repatriated by the U.K.’s National Crime Agency to pay the tycoon’s legal fines.
Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party argued that the land was given to the trust for a spiritual education center and was not used for Khan’s personal gain.
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“But (Imran Khan) will not give in, he will not give up, he will not break down,” he wrote.
Friday’s verdict comes after multiple delays as Khan’s party held talks with the government.
After his sentencing Friday, Khan told reporters in the courtroom that he “wouldn’t make any deals or seek relief.”
Khan’s 14-year prison sentence is the maximum sentence that could be imposed in this case. He was also fined more than £4,000.
His wife was sentenced to seven years in prison and fined more than £2,000. Bibi, on bail since last October, was taken into custody after her sentence was announced.
In 2023, Khan was sentenced to three years in prison for failing to declare money earned from the sale of gifts he received while in office.
Last year, Khan was sentenced to 14 years in prison for selling state gifts, and another 10 years for disclosing state secrets. Both sentences were suspended months later.
Although he is in prison and banned from holding public office, Khan still occupies an important place in Pakistan’s political scene. Last year’s elections saw Imran Khan-backed candidates win the highest number of seats among all parties.
The prosecution of Khan sparked large-scale protests by his supporters, which were met with a crackdown by authorities. Thousands of protesters were arrested and many injured during clashes with police.
