Pakistani ex-Premier Khan sentenced to 14 years over university graft case

A Pakistani court on Friday sentenced former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to jail time over a graft case related to the Al Qadir University Trust.

The former premier was sentenced to 14 years behind bars, and his wife to seven, in the thrice-postponed verdict announced inside Adiala jail in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, where Khan has been held since August 2023.

Khan and Bibi were indicted in the case, popularly known as the "£190 million ($236 million) reference," last February.

They can challenge the verdict.

The National Accountability Bureau said that Khan and his wife received billions of rupees and a large piece of costly land to build the educational institution in return for releasing £190 million to a property tycoon in 2020. Khan and his wife have denied the allegations.

The anti-corruption body had initiated an investigation and arrested Khan in May 2023 over the case, but his arrest was later declared illegal by the top court, and he was released on bail.

The amount was identified and returned to the country by the UK's National Crime Agency following a settlement with real estate tycoon Malik Riaz in 2019.

The anti-graft department alleges that Khan's PTI government struck a deal with Riaz that caused a loss of over $239 million to the national exchequer in a "quid pro quo" arrangement with the businessman.