Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been sentenced to 14 years in prison, while his wife, Bushra Bibi, received a 7-year jail term in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust corruption case. The judgment was delivered by an Islamabad accountability court after a series of legal proceedings.
Bushra Bibi was taken into custody from Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where Imran Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023. She was present in the courtroom when the verdict was announced.
The case pertains to allegations of misuse of authority and corruption linked to Khan’s Al-Qadir University Project Trust. According to Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau (NAB), the couple facilitated the illegal transfer of £50 billion (approximately PKR 50 billion), which had been identified and repatriated to Pakistan by the UK government during Khan’s tenure. The funds were allegedly redirected into an account designated for land payments by Bahria Town Karachi.
The NAB accused Imran Khan of playing a “pivotal role” in the scheme, claiming he and Bushra Bibi received substantial financial benefits and land spanning hundreds of kanals in return for legalizing the funds. Despite multiple opportunities to justify their actions, Khan allegedly failed to provide satisfactory explanations.
Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi were indicted on February 27, 2024, following the controversial general elections held the previous year. The court initially scheduled the verdict for December 23 but deferred it to January 6 due to winter vacations.
Imran Khan, who has referred to the legal cases against him as “politically motivated,” was incarcerated in August 2023. While he was acquitted in the Cipher and Iddat cases earlier in 2024, he faced fresh charges in the Toshakhana 2 case in December.
The case also names property tycoon Malik Riaz Hussain, his son Ahmed Ali Riaz, Mirza Shehzad Akbar, and Zulfi Bukhari as suspects. All four were declared proclaimed offenders after failing to join the investigation or court proceedings.
Sources close to Imran Khan alleged that the verdict was preordained under pressure from the military establishment. “The judges were already told by the army to deliver on certain lines,” one source claimed. The sources further argued that Khan did not receive a fair trial during the proceedings.
The Al-Qadir Trust case is among the many legal battles faced by Khan and his associates, reflecting the escalating political turmoil in Pakistan. The former prime minister’s supporters have termed the verdict a continuation of a “witch hunt” against him.
