Islamabad High Court suspends Imran, wife Bushra's prison sentences in state gifts case
- 01 Apr 2024
Tariq Butt, Correspondent / Agencies
A Pakistani court on Monday suspended a 14-year prison sentence for former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in a case related to illegal selling of state gifts (Toshakhana case), but the couple won't be released because they are already serving prison terms in other cases, officials said.
However, the court order was a legal victory for Imran Khan, who was ousted from power in a no-confidence vote in April 2022. Imran now has more than 170 legal cases hanging over him.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) suspended the sentences for Imran and Bushra Bibi, after hearing an appeal from their lawyer, according to Zulfiqar Bukhari, the spokesperson for Imran's Pakistan Tehrik-e-Insaf (PTI) party.
The court ordered the release of the couple on bail but under the country's laws, Imran and his wife won't be freed because Bushra is serving a prison term in another case and Imran has been convicted and sentenced in multiple cases.
The latest development came about two months after Imran and his wife were found guilty of retaining and selling state gifts (Toshakhana) in violation of government rules when he was in power.
IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq, who headed a two-judge bench, asked whether the appeal was scheduled for hearing today. The judge then remarked that the court would not hear the appeal today but the parties could argue over the suspension of the sentence in the meantime.
However, Syed Ali Zafar, the lawyer for Khan and Bushra Bibi, stated that he would argue the appeal instead of the suspension. At this, the judge observed that the cypher case conviction appeal was scheduled for Tuesday; it will be wrapped up soon. "We cannot hear the Toshakhana case today, and schedule it for Tuesday," he stated.
Justice Farooq observed that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) is to begin its arguments in the cypher case, and "we don't know how long they will take". He said that the court would schedule the hearing of the Toshakhana case after Eid Al Fitr.
A Pakistani court on Monday suspended a 14-year prison sentence for former prime minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi in a case related to illegal selling of state gifts (Toshakhana case), but the couple won't be released because they are already serving prison terms in other cases, officials said.
Ali Zafar said during Monday's court hearing that Imran and Bushra did not get the right of a fair trial. He claimed that Khan was being politically victimised and the couple was not involved in any wrongdoing. The court will resume hearing the case later this month.
Imran remains popular in the country despite his conviction in multiple cases. Imran Khan, 71, remains jailed on two other cases including treason and illegal marriage with sentences stretching up to a decade.
A spokesman for his PTI party said the Islamabad High Court dropped the pair's sentences from an anti-corruption court over selling state gifts, with an appeal against their convictions pending.
The trial court gave "limited counsel access but also had reached the decision in haste without allowing defence to conclude arguments," spokesman Ahmed Janjua said.
Imran was already jailed and barred from standing for office when he was hit by a trio of sentences in the days before Pakistan's Feb.8 general elections.
His wife Bushra was also sentenced over graft and a marriage the courts said came too quickly after her divorce, in breach of Islamic law.
Analysts said it was a bid to seal the sidelining of the former prime minister and his PTI party from the poll, which was marred by widespread allegations of rigging both before and after the vote.
Despite a crackdown of arrests and censorship, candidates loyal to Imran won more seats than any other party but fell far short of the majority needed to govern.
Agencies
