Ex-Pakistan PM Imran Khan, wife Bushra Bibi sentenced to 14 years in Toshakhana case

Former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, have been sentenced to 14 years in prison after being found guilty of acquiring expensive gifts from the state treasury (Toshakhana) illegally while in power.

This comes a day after Khan received a 10-year prison sentence for leaking sensitive state secrets, dealing another setback to his electoral ambitions for the upcoming February 8 general elections.

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Accountability Court Judge Mohammad Bashir conducted the hearing at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, where the former premier is currently detained. Both Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, received a 14-year prison sentence. They were also barred from holding any public office for 10 years and slapped with a fine of ₹787 million each.

Notably, Bushra Bibi did not appear before the court on Wednesday.

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Toshakhana case

• Imran Khan faces allegations of "deliberately hiding details about gifts" received from the Toshakhana, a repository for presents given to government officials by foreign dignitaries during his tenure as prime minister. This includes both the gifts themselves and the profits from their sale.

• An investigation by the country’s anti-corruption body, the National Accountability Bureau, revealed that the 71-year-old former prime minister and his wife purchased gifts presented by foreign dignitaries from the state treasury at significantly lower prices than their designated values.

• The reported gifts encompass seven watches, with six being Rolexes. The priciest among them, a "Master Graff limited edition," is estimated at $300,000, as per Pakistan's information minister.

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• The Toshakhana, operating under the Cabinet Division, stores gifts presented to rulers and government officials by foreign leaders. Regulations mandate the reporting of such gifts and items to the Cabinet Division.

• This marks Khan’s second conviction in the corruption case, following a previous ruling last year where a special court sentenced him to three years in jail. The earlier case resulted in a ban on the former cricket star from holding any public office for five years.

(Inputs from wires)