By Mubasher Bukhari
LAHORE, Dec 20 (Reuters) - A Pakistani court on Saturday sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to 17 years in prison each in a corruption case involving the under-priced purchase of luxury state gifts, the court and Khan's lawyers said.
The latest conviction adds to a series of legal troubles for Khan, who has been behind bars since August 2023, and is currently serving a 14-year sentence in a separate land graft case.
He faces dozens of cases filed since he was ousted from office in 2022, ranging from corruption to anti-terrorism and state secrets charges. Khan has denied wrongdoing in all the cases, which his party says are politically motivated.
"The court announced the sentence without hearing the defence and sentenced 17 years imprisonment to Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi with heavy fines," Khan's family lawyer Rana Mudassar Umer told Reuters.
They were handed 10 years' rigorous imprisonment under Pakistan's penal code for criminal breach of trust and a further seven years under anti-corruption laws, the special court of Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency said in its verdict.
Khan's jail term from Saturday's ruling would begin after he has served the 14 years from the land graft case, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said.
The case relates to luxury watches gifted to Khan by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during official visits, which prosecutors said Khan and his wife then purchased from the state at a heavily discounted price in violation of Pakistan's gift rules.
Tarrar said the purchase resulted in losses of several million rupees for the state.
Zulfi Bukhari, a spokesperson for Khan, said the verdict "ignores basic principles of justice" and turns the process into "a tool for selective prosecution."
Khan has told his legal team to appeal the decision at the Islamabad High Court, Salman Safdar, another one of his lawyers, told reporters outside the jail where the trials were being held, Geo News reported.
ANOTHER STATE GIFTS CONVICTION
The case is separate from an earlier state gifts prosecution linked to Khan's August 2023 arrest. Earlier sentences of 14 years for Khan and seven years for Bushra Bibi were later suspended on appeal. The couple denies wrongdoing.
The cases are commonly known in Pakistan as the Toshakhana cases, referring to the state repository where gifts received by public officials are deposited.
Following the verdict, Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party announced plans for protests across Punjab on Sunday.
Khan's party also says routine family and legal visits have been blocked in recent weeks despite court orders. Authorities deny any mistreatment and say he is receiving all facilities available to prisoners.
Khan, a former cricket star turned politician, remains one of Pakistan's most polarising figures, with his legal battles unfolding as his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party remains sidelined from power.
(Reporting by Mubasher Bukhari in Lahore; writing by Ariba Shahid; editing by Saad Sayeed)
