Pakistan’s popular former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi, who are jailed in a corruption case, have been convicted. Pakistan’s Accountability Court on Saturday (December 20) sentenced both of them to 17 years of rigorous imprisonment in the Toshakhana corruption case. Along with this, the court has also imposed a fine of Rs 1 crore (one crore Pakistani rupees) on both of them.
The case relates to alleged fraud and irregularities related to state gifts received from the Government of Saudi Arabia in the year 2021. According to the prosecution, Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi committed corruption and abused government trust in disposing of these gifts in violation of Toshakhana rules.
The verdict in this case was pronounced in the high-security Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi. Special court judge Shahrukh Arjumand, while delivering the verdict, said that the charges against both the accused have been proved. The court sentenced Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi to 10 years of rigorous imprisonment for criminal breach of trust under section 409 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC). Apart from this, both were sentenced to an additional 7 years of imprisonment under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
The court also clarified that both the sentences taken together would amount to a total imprisonment of 17 years. Along with this, a financial penalty of Rs 1 crore each has been imposed on Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi, which will have to be deposited within the stipulated time.
Toshakhana is the government department where gifts given to top leaders of Pakistan by foreign heads of states and governments are deposited. As per the rules, these gifts are either considered as government property or the person concerned is allowed to purchase them after evaluation under the prescribed procedure. In this case, it is alleged that rules regarding gifts received from Saudi Arabia were violated in 2021 and the government treasury was caused loss.
Imran Khan is already in judicial custody in several cases and this decision is being considered as another legal blow for him. This punishment is also considered serious for Bushra Bibi, because this is a major conviction against her.
After this decision, the stir in Pakistan’s politics has once again intensified. Imran Khan’s supporters have termed it political vendetta, while the government and the prosecution say that the decision has been given on the basis of law and evidence. Now all eyes are on whether Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi challenge this decision in higher courts or not.
Also read:
This intestinal disease spreads silently, do not ignore the symptoms
America’s ‘Operation Hawkeye Strike’ begins; Attacks on ISIS targets in Syria
Maharashtra Local Body Elections 2025: Voting begins in 23 Municipal Councils and Nagar Panchayats of the state
Comments are closed.