Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, have been sentenced to a total of 17 years in prison following their conviction in a high-profile state gift fraud case.
The Conviction and Charges
The verdict, delivered on Saturday 20 December 2025, stems from allegations that the couple purchased luxury gifts received from foreign dignitaries at a heavily discounted price, in violation of Pakistani law. Prosecutors successfully argued that Khan and his wife declared the gifts' value at just over $10,000 (£7,500), a figure dramatically lower than their assessed market value of $285,500 (£213,000).
These items, which included luxury watches and jewellery, were presented to Khan during his tenure as prime minister by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman. Under Pakistani regulations, officials must buy such gifts from the state at their full market value if they wish to keep them.
Lengthy Sentences and Legal Backdrop
Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency announced the couple received a 10-year sentence for criminal breach of trust under the penal code, with an additional seven-year term imposed under anti-corruption laws. Both Khan and his wife had pleaded not guilty when indicted last year.
This latest conviction adds to a series of severe legal setbacks for the 73-year-old former cricket star. Khan has been incarcerated since August 2023 and is currently serving a separate 14-year sentence related to a land graft case. Information minister Attaullah Tarar confirmed the new 17-year term would commence only after he completes that existing sentence.
Political Context and Reaction
Khan faces dozens of additional cases filed since his removal from office in 2022, covering charges from corruption to state secrets. He has consistently denied all wrongdoing, with his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party maintaining the cases are politically motivated.
In a recent, emotional interview with Sky News' The World with Yalda Hakim, Khan's sons expressed profound fear, stating they might never see their father again and alleging he is subjected to psychological torture in a "death cell."
Zulfi Bukhari, a spokesperson for Khan, condemned the verdict, saying it "ignores basic principles of justice" and turns the legal process into "a tool for selective prosecution." Khan has reportedly instructed his legal team to appeal the decision at the Islamabad High Court.
Once a national hero for captaining Pakistan to cricket World Cup glory in 1992, Imran Khan remains one of the country's most polarising political figures, with his party sidelined from power amidst this ongoing legal turmoil.
