ISLAMABAD — A Pakistani court convicted and sentenced imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi on Saturday to 17 years in prison after finding them guilty of retaining and selling state gifts, officials and his party said.
The couple pleaded not guilty when they were indicted last year. They were accused of selling the gifts, including jewelry from Saudi Arabia's government, at prices far below their market value while he was in office.
Prosecutors said Khan and his wife declared the value of the gifts at a little over $10,000, far below their actual market value of $285,521, allowing them to purchase the items at a reduced price.
Khan's lawyer, Salman Safdar, said he would appeal the ruling on behalf of the former premier and his wife.
Under Pakistani law, for government officials and politicians to keep gifts received from foreign dignitaries, they must buy them at the assessed market value and declare any proceeds earned from selling them.
Khan's spokesperson, Zulfiquar Bukhari, said Saturday's sentencing ignored basic principles of justice. In a statement, he said that the ''criminal liability was imposed without proof of intent, gain, or loss, relying instead on a retrospective reinterpretation of rules.
Bukhari said the court ruling ''raised serious questions about the fairness and impartiality of the process, turning justice into a tool for selective prosecution.''
Khan's opposition Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party, or PTI, denounced the ruling in a statement, calling it ''a black chapter in history,'' and said Khan was present in the court when the judge announced the verdict in the Adiala prison in the city of Rawalpindi.
