Islamabad: Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, have been convicted on Friday in the £190 million Al-Qadir Trust land corruption case. The cricketer-turned-politician has received a 14-year jail term. This is the fourth major case in which the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief has been pronounced guilty.
Bushra Bibi was sentenced to seven years in prison. Fine of 1 million Pakistani rupees has been imposed on Khan and 500,000 Pakistani rupees penalty on his spouse. This marks the fourth major case in which the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf chief has been convicted.
Pakistan’s National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had lodged the case in December 2023 against Khan, Bibi and six others. They have caused a loss of £190 million (50 billion Pakistani rupees) to the national exchequer. While Khan and Bibi have been prosecuted, other accused—including a key property tycoon— are staying outside Pakistan currently, reported Dawn.
Khan and Bushra Bibi facilitated the transfer of billions of rupees and hundreds of kanals of land from Bahria Town Ltd in exchange for legalising 50 billion rupees returned to Pakistan by the United Kingdom during Khan’s tenure as PM. The funds, intended for the national treasury, were diverted for personal benefit. This also included the utilization of funds for the establishment of Al-Qadir University, whose trustee is Bibi, in Jhelum.
Bibi directly benefited from the settlement, acquiring 458 kanals of land for the university. NAB’s reference stated that Khan played a “pivotal role in the illicit transfer of funds meant for the state” into a private account used to pay for Bahria Town land in Karachi, reported the India Today.
Currently, Khan is lodged in prison. He has denied the charges, dubbing those as “politically motivated.”
