Islamabad: In a major relief to jailed former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan, a high court on Monday suspended the 14-year sentence given to him and his wife Bushra Bibi in the Toshakhana corruption case.
The two were sentenced to 14 years in jail each by an accountability court on January 31 for alleged corruption in state gifts they got from the state depository, days before the general elections.
They challenged the conviction in the Islamabad High Court where a two-member bench headed by IHC Chief Justice Aamer Farooq heard the case.
The Toshakhana corruption case pertains to the accusations against Khan for illegally selling state gifts, which he received during his tenure as the Prime Minister.
Toshakhana, which means ‘treasure house’ in Persian, is governed by rules that allow government officials to keep the gifts by paying a price for them. However, in any case, the officials are required to deposit the gift first.
Khan is charged with illegally selling the gifts, worth more than Rs 140 million, received during his 2018-2022 premiership. According to the charges, the gifts were sold by Khan in Dubai and included perfumes, diamond jewellery, dinner sets, and seven watches. Six of the watches are Rolexes, among which the most expensive one is a “Master Graff limited edition” valued at Rs 85 million.
