Former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were handed a 14-year jail sentence in the Toshakhana reference on Wednesday.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had recently lodged a fresh reference against the couple, accusing them of retaining a jewelry set received from the Saudi crown prince at an undervalued assessment.
The verdict, delivered just eight days before the crucial February 8 general elections, adds another layer of complexity to the political landscape.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), led by Imran Khan, is navigating these elections amidst a state crackdown and without an official electoral symbol.
This development follows closely on the heels of a separate ruling by a special court established under the Official Secrets Act, which sentenced both Imran Khan and his foreign minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, to 10 years in prison for breaching state secrets.
Accountability Judge Mohammad Bashir presided over the hearing at Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, where the former premier is currently incarcerated.
Alongside the jail term, both Imran and Bushra Bibi have been barred from holding any public office for a decade and face a hefty fine of Rs787 million. Notably, Bushra Bibi did not appear before the court during the hearing.
The judge had already concluded the cross-examination of the prosecution witnesses, prompting the call for Imran and his spouse to record their statements under Section 342 of the Code of Criminal Procedure.
In August last year, Imran was sentenced to three years of imprisonment by an Islamabad trial court in a separate Toshakhana case.
The case, filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP), had accused the PTI leader of not mentioning the details of state gifts in his tax declarations.
Later, the IHC had set aside the sentence and ordered his release. However, he was not freed as he was undergoing trial in the cipher and other cases.
On Dec 19, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed a fresh reference against Imran and his wife in an accountability court for retaining a jewellery set received from the Saudi crown prince against an undervalued assessment.
The duo was indicted in the Toshakhana reference on January 9.
