Imran Khan, Ex Pakistan PM, Bags 3 Year Jail Term, 5 Year Ban From Politics

A former Pakistan prime minister, Imran Khan has been sentenced to three years imprisonment for illegally selling state gifts.

A trial court in Islamabad, the country’s capital, issued the ruling on Saturday.

Khan was also banned from politics for five years.

Khan was Pakistan’s prime minister from 2018 until his removal in 2022.

The 70-year-old was accused of incorrectly declaring details of presents from foreign dignitaries and proceeds from their alleged sale.

The gifts, worth more than 140 million Pakistani rupees ($635,000), included watches given by a royal family, a ring and a pair of cuff links.

Khan was not present at the hearing on Saturday.

Shortly after the court verdict, the cricketer-cum-politician was arrested by the police at his residence in Lahore, the eastern district of the country.

According to Reuters, Intezar Panjotha, Khan’s lawyer, said the court ruling will be appealed at a higher court.

Khan is facing more than 100 cases in Pakistan since his ouster as the country’s prime minister in 2022.

He has denied any wrongdoing, saying the charges are politically motivated.

(Reuters)