A court in Pakistan has sentenced the country's jailed former prime minister, Imran Khan, to 14 years in prison and his wife to seven after finding them guilty on corruption charges, officials and his lawyers said.
After the decision, Khan's X account said he would never accept "this dictatorship."
"I will stay in prison for as long as necessary in the fight against this dictatorship, but I will never compromise with my principles and the fight for true freedom of the nation."
He also said that his wife was sentenced "just to pressure me and hurt me."
The couple is accused of accepting a gift of land from a real estate tycoon in exchange for money laundering when Khan was in power.
Prosecutors said the businessman, Malik Riaz, was then allowed by Khan to pay fines imposed on him in another case with the same laundered money of 190 British pounds ($240 million). The money was returned to Pakistan by British authorities in 2022 to be deposited in the state treasury.
Khan has denied the allegations and has insisted since his arrest in 2023 that all charges against him are a conspiracy by rivals to keep him out of running for public office.
Khan, who became prime minister in 2018, was ousted from power through a no-confidence motion in Parliament in April 2022.
Khan, 72, faces more than 150 criminal cases, even though he enjoys immense popularity among Pakistanis.
He and his political party, Pakistan Tehrik-e Insaf (PTI), have said these cases are politically motivated.
Khan's sentence was pronounced in court at the Rawalpindi prison, where he is serving his sentence.
Local media reported that his wife, Bushra Bibi, was taken into custody shortly after the sentencing, as she was on parole.
Khan's lawyer, Faisal Chaudhry, said the sentence would be appealed, as lawmakers from the PTI gathered outside Parliament, saying the former prime minister had been punished unfairly.
In a statement, the PTI said the case against Khan and her wife "lacks a solid foundation and is destined to fail."
Some of Khan's supporters gathered outside Adaila Jail in Rawalpindi, chanted slogans against the government and demanded the former prime minister's release.
Previously, the former prime minister was convicted on charges of corruption, revealing state secrets and violating marriage laws, and in three separate verdicts, he was sentenced to ten, 14 and seven years, respectively.
Under Pakistani law, he must serve all sentences, meaning the length of his prison sentence will be longer./ REL (A2 Televizion)
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