An Islamabad court suspended, Monday 1er April, the fourteen-year prison sentence for corruption of former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, in a case concerning gifts received when he was in power, his party announced. The 71-year-old remains subject to two convictions in separate cases: ten years in prison for disclosure of classified documents, and seven years for illegal marriage.
These three convictions were announced a few days before the legislative elections of February 8, in which he was unable to run, because he had been imprisoned since August and ineligible. Mr. Khan blames the army for his legal troubles, intended, he says, to prevent his return to power. The tribunal “granted only limited access to lawyers [d’Imran Khan et de son épouse, Bushra Bibi] and decided on a hasty verdict without allowing the defense to conclude its argument”said Ahmed Janjua, a spokesperson for his party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI).
Imran Khan’s supporters hoped for an acquittal in this case. But the court ruled that only the prison sentence was suspended, with further hearings scheduled to debate the sentence itself. It is important for the ex-prime minister to be acquitted, and not just to have his prison sentences overturned, if he wants to be able to hold public office again.
Resale of gifts at full price
The former head of government was accused of having received, when he was in power, gifts whose value he underestimated before reselling them at a high price. All gifts must be declared, and only those worth less than a certain amount can be kept or purchased at an officially agreed price.
Imran Khan had benefited from the military’s favor to be elected in 2018, but the former star cricketer later fell from grace and accused them of orchestrating his ouster from the post of prime minister in April 2022. The PTI said the subject of vast repression before the February election, which forced its candidates to run as independents.
Numerous allegations of manipulation accompanied these elections, after the authorities cut off the mobile telephone network on polling day and the counting took more than twenty-four hours. Imran Khan’s supporters emerged victorious from the vote, but with an insufficient lead to form the government. They left the field open to a coalition led by the new prime minister, Shehbaz Sharif, who would have benefited from the support of the army.