A special court on Saturday sentenced Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi to 17 years’ imprisonment each in the Toshakhana-2 case.
The verdict was announced by Special Judge Central Shahrukh Arjumand after a series of hearings conducted inside Rawalpindi’s Adiala Jail, where Imran Khan is currently incarcerated.
The case revolves around an expensive Bulgari jewelry set that the Saudi crown prince gave to Imran Khan during an official visit in May 2021. The luxury set, which authorities estimated at over Rs70 million, was deliberately undervalued and bought at a nominal price, according to the prosecution, resulting in a loss for the national exchequer.
The prosecution maintained that the jewellery was retained after payment of only a few million rupees and was neither correctly valued nor deposited in the Toshakhana as required.
According to the judgment, Imran Khan was awarded 10 years’ rigorous imprisonment under Sections 34 (common intention) and 409 (criminal breach of trust) of the Pakistan Penal Code, along with seven years under Section 5(2) (criminal misconduct by public servants) of the Prevention of Corruption Act.
Bushra Bibi was handed the same cumulative sentence under the same legal provisions.
Both convicts were also fined Rs16.4 million each. Failure to pay the fines will result in additional imprisonment, as per law.
The court stated in its court order that it had taken Bushra Bibi’s gender and Imran Khan’s age into account while deciding on the sentencing, noting that a lenient view was taken in imposing a lesser punishment.
The court also granted the benefit of Section 382-B of the Criminal Procedure Code, allowing time already spent in custody to be counted towards the sentence.
In December of last year, Bushra Bibi and Imran Khan were charged in the case. Both denied the accusations in October, calling the reference politically motivated and intended to keep the former prime minister out of politics.
Following the verdict, the PTI strongly criticised the decision. In a statement on X, the party alleged that Imran Khan’s family was barred from entering the jail premises and described the proceedings as a “kangaroo court”. The party also shared footage of Imran’s sister Aleema Khan questioning why she was stopped outside the jail.
Aleema Khan then accused the verdict of being rushed and pre-written in an interview with the media. She said the family had been waiting for such a decision for weeks and questioned the timing of the announcement. She also raised concerns over Bushra Bibi’s confinement conditions.
“Even at night, I felt they wanted to announce the verdict quickly, taking advantage of the foggy weather,” she said, questioning the timing of the announcement. She added that those behind the cases were “not intelligent people” and that she failed to understand their scripts.
“What difference does it make whether you sentence them to ten years or fourteen years? Earlier, you already gave them 14 years,” Aleema remarked. She warned that the public’s patience had run out and alleged that the authorities planned to announce a new decision every six months.
Separately, PTI leader Salman Akram Raja stated that the case was being conducted based on promissory notes and lacked credible evidence.
“They have no witnesses except the person whom the PTI founder himself brought forward,” he said. He described the case as absurd, adding, “A person stands up and says pressure was put on him, and you accept that as evidence.”
Information Minister Attaullah Tarar said that the punishment awarded on Saturday would run consecutively, starting after the sentence in the £190 million corruption case concluded.
Speaking to a private media outlet, he welcomed the judgment and said the former prime minister and his wife had “committed fraud” by acquiring the gifts at undervalued rates and retaining them for personal use.
“They had no right to harm the exchequer and retain gifts,” Tarar stressed. “During the trial, when these gifts were properly assessed, it emerged that the actual price was quite high,” he added. He termed the judgment “completely fair and grounded in the principles of justice,” stating that misuse of office, dishonesty with government property, and criminal breach of trust had all been proven.
Minister of State for Law and Justice Barrister Aqeel Malik said the verdict was “in line with the Constitution and the law,” asserting that there was no political bias. “If you violate the law, it is clear that a punishment is expected,” he remarked.
“The trial that went on for 15-16 months, it was proven that PTI founder and his wife caused the national exchequer significant harm as the set’s valuation was under-reported,” Malik said. “The gift was not even submitted,” he added.
Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani said that the judgment followed lengthy proceedings and mirrored the Toshakhana-I reference. He explained that the gifts were not deposited as legally required and that Imran Khan and Bushra Bibi had attempted to purchase the set at throwaway rates. “All the facts have now been established in light of today’s judgment,” he concluded.
The Toshakhana-2 case was transferred to the FIA Anti-Corruption Court on September 9, 2024. Charges were framed under Section 5 of the Prevention of Corruption Act, 1947, and Section 409 of the Pakistan Penal Code.
The trial formally began on September 16, 2024, with Special Judge Central Shahrukh Arjumand presiding at Adiala Jail. Bushra Bibi was granted bail by the Islamabad High Court on October 23, 2024, and released the following day. Imran Khan also received bail on November 20, 2024. On December 12, 2024, formal charges were framed against both accused.
Over the course of nearly a year, the court conducted more than 80 hearings at Adiala Jail. The prosecution recorded statements of 24 witnesses and completed cross-examinations of 20 key witnesses, including former Military Secretary Brigadier (retd) Muhammad Ahmad, private appraiser Sohaib Abbasi, and Imran Khan’s former Principal Secretary Inamullah.
The FIA prosecution team was led by Federal Prosecutor Zulfiqar Abbas Naqvi, assisted by Barristers Umair Majeed Malik, Bilal Butt, and Shahvez Gilani. The defence was represented by Arshad Tabrez, Qausain Faisal Mufti, and Barrister Salman Safdar.
