A special court of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) on Saturday sentenced PTI founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to 17 years imprisonment in the Toshakhana-2 case.
The case pertains to the purchase of an expensive Bulgari jewellery set, gifteed to Imran by the Saudi crown prince during an official visit in May 2021, at a throwaway price. During the proceedings, the prosecution contended that the PTI founder retained the jewellery set, valued at approximately Rs80 million, after paying only Rs2.9m.
The verdict was delivered by Special Judge Central Shahrukh Arjumand during a hearing held at Rawalpindi’s Adiala jail, where Imran is incarcerated.
Imran was sentenced to a total of 17 years in prison; he was awarded 10-year rigorous imprisonment under sections 34 (common intention) and 409 (criminal breach of trust) of the Pakistan Penal Code, and seven years under Section 5(2) (criminal misconduct by public servants) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Bushra Bibi was also sentenced to a total of 17 years’ imprisonment under the same provisions.
Both of them were also fined Rs16.4 million. As per the law, a failure to pay the fines will result in additional jail time.
The court order, a copy of which is available with Dawn, said, “This court, while passing sentences has considered the old age of Imran Ahmed Khan Niazi, as well as the fact that Bushra Imran Khan is a female. It is in consideration of both said factors that a lenient view has been taken in awarding lesser punishment.”
It added that the benefit of Section 382-B (period of detention to be considered while awarding sentence of imprisonment) of the Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) was “hereby given to the convicts”.
After the verdict, Imran and Bushra’s legal teams indicated their intention to challenge the decision before the high court.
The PTI, in a post on X, said that Imran’s family was not allowed inside the jail, where a “kangaroo court announced the verdict of the Toshakhana 2 case”.
“A closed-door jail trial is neither free nor fair; it is in fact a military trial,” the party said. It also shared a video of Imran’s sister Aleema Khan inside a car asking why she was not being allowed to proceed further.
“They can’t stop us. The jail trial is today,” she said in the video, adding that it was “illegal” that the family was being stopped.
Imran and Bushra Bibi were indicted in the case last year in December. Earlier this year in October, the two had denied all allegations in case, terming it a fabricated and politically motivated attempt to disqualify Imran from politics.
Imran, imprisoned since August 2023, is serving a 14-year sentence at the Adiala jail in a £190 million corruption case and also faces pending trials under the Anti-Terrorism Act related to the protests of May 9, 2023. Bushra Bibi is also serving a seven-year sentence in £190 million corruption case.
‘Judgment in line with the Constitution, law’
Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik, while speaking with Geo News, remarked that the judgment was “in line with the Constitution and the law”.
He stressed that “there was no political side to this, if you violate the law, it is clear that a punishment is expected”.
“The trial that went on for 15-16 months, it was proven that PTI founder and his wife caused the national exchequer significant harm as the set’s valuation was under-reported,” Malik said.
“The gift was not even submitted,” he added.
Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani said that the judgment came after lengthy legal proceedings. Speaking to Geo News, he noted that the case followed a similar pattern to that of the Toshakhana-I reference.
“The state was given a gift that was not deposited, which they were legally bound to do according to the procedure for acceptance and gifts in Toshakhana,“ he said.
“Unfortunately, Bushra Bibi and Imran Khan attempted to buy the set at throwaway rates,“ he said. He asserted that all the facts had “now been established in light of today’s judgement”.
This is a developing story that is being updated as the situation evolves. Initial reports in the media can sometimes be inaccurate. We will strive to ensure timeliness and accuracy by relying on credible sources, such as concerned, qualified authorities and our staff reporters.
