A court in Pakistan sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan to 14 years in prison on Friday on corruption charges.
The conviction relates to a previous British money-laundering investigation.
Judge Nasir Javed Rana stated that Khan, who is already incarcerated after being convicted of several other corruption charges, was found guilty of corrupt practices and misusing his position as prime minister.
Prosecutor Muzaffar Abbasi told reporters following the verdict that Khan’s wife, who is also implicated in the case, was sentenced to seven years for aiding him in the crime.
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Khan’s defence lawyer, Faisal Chaudhry, stated that the former prime minister’s party believes the conviction is politically motivated and that they intend to appeal the decision in a higher court.
Khan was accused of returning £190 million ($231 million) to a Pakistani real estate tycoon after the sum was recovered by the UK’s National Crime Agency, following allegations that the businessman had laundered the money.
The money was intended to be handed over to the Pakistani state.
Prosecutors claimed that in exchange for returning the funds to the businessman, Khan and his wife obtained a significant number of commercial and residential properties through a charitable trust they had set up.
Khan, who served as Pakistan’s prime minister from 2018 to 2022, was removed by parliament after falling out of favour with the country’s powerful military.
He has been in jail for more than a year.
