Islamabad: Pakistan’s former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, were convicted in the £190m Al-Qadir University Project Trust case on Friday. Imran Khan was sentenced to 14 years in prison, while Bushra Bibi received a seven-year jail term. 

Judge Nasir Javed Rana delivered the verdict, which had been delayed three times, in a makeshift courtroom at Adiala Jail. The court also imposed fines of Rs 1 million on Imran and Rs 500,000 on Bushra.

If they fail to pay the fines, they will face an additional six months in jail. The verdict was announced amid tight security outside Adiala Jail, and Bushra Bibi was arrested from the courtroom following the ruling.

The couple was formally indicted in the case on February 27, 2024, shortly after the general elections.

Speaking to the media outside Adiala Jail before the hearing, PTI Chairman Barrister Gohar Ali Khan stated, “You can guess the injustice that has occurred over the last two years. If a fair decision is made, Imran and Bushra will be acquitted.”

The case alleges that Imran and Bushra Bibi received billions of rupees and land worth hundreds of kanals from Bahria Town Ltd in exchange for legalising Rs 50 billion, which had been identified and returned to Pakistan by the United Kingdom during the previous PTI government, Dawn reported.

The verdict, initially scheduled for December 23, was postponed due to winter vacations and rescheduled for January 6. However, it was delayed again as Judge Nasir Javed Rana was on leave, and on January 13, the hearing was further delayed because Imran and Bushra failed to appear in the courtroom at Adiala Jail.

Imran Khan has been imprisoned since August 2023 in connection with various legal cases, which he maintains are politically motivated. Last year, he was acquitted in the cipher and Iddat cases but faces new charges in the Toshakhana 2 case.

(IANS)