Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have been sentenced to further jail terms following a fraud case involving state gifts.
They were convicted of breaking Pakistan's rules on gifts after Bibi was given a luxury jewellery set by Saudi Arabia's Mohammed bin Salman during a 2021 state visit.
The pair are already serving time in prison for earlier convictions, and the new sentences - 10 years for criminal breach of trust and seven years for criminal misconduct, along with a fine - will reportedly run concurrently with their previous terms.
Khan has described the charges as politically motivated, and his lawyer told BBC News that his team plans to challenge the verdict.
Speaking to the BBC after the sentencing, the former prime minister's lawyer, Salman Safdar, noted that Khan and his wife had not been present for the hearing and that their legal team had only been informed about the sentencing late on Friday night.
This case is the latest in a series of charges laid against the cricket star-turned-politician, who has been detained since August 2023. In January, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison over a separate corruption case.
He faces over 100 charges, ranging from leaking state secrets to selling state gifts, with the exact number unconfirmed. The jewellery case, referred to as Toshakhana 2 in Pakistan, involves a Bulgari set given to Bushra Bibi by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a state visit in 2021, as stated in court documents.
Under Pakistan's rules on state gifts, these items traditionally go to the Toshakana department (state treasury), although politicians can purchase them back. Khan allegedly instructed a private firm to undervalue the jewellery set before buying it back at a significantly reduced price.
In addition to their jail terms, the couple face a fine exceeding 16 million Pakistani rupees (£42,600).
Despite previously being acquitted in a different Toshakhana case, Khan still has other charges pending against him, including terrorism accusations linked to violent protests that occurred on May 9, 2023, when he was initially arrested.
Khan served as Pakistan's Prime Minister until April 2022 when he was ousted in a vote of no confidence.
Though he remains out of public view, his social media accounts persistently post messages attributed to him, frequently criticizing the current government and its powerful military leadership. In November, he was denied visitors for nearly a month.
After advocacy from his family and party, his sister was allowed to visit in early December, following which a post appeared on his account denouncing the military chief as a 'mentally unstable person'. Since then, he has had no family visits.
According to an official at the jail, Khan and his wife were present when the verdict was proclaimed, although no journalists were permitted to observe the proceedings. The judge reportedly considered Khan's 'old age' in issuing a lenient sentence.
