Pakistan’s ex-PM Imran Khan arrested; gets 3 years in jail in Toshakhana corruption case

The arrest comes after a trial court sentenced Imran Khan to three years in prison and could see him barred from politics as he found guilty in the the Toshakhana corruption case.

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has been arrested by the police at his home in Lahore after he was found guilty in the the Toshakhana corruption case. A Pakistani trial court sentenced him to three years in jail in the case in which he has been accused profiting from selling expensive state gifts when he was in power.

Additional Judge Humayun Dilawar of the Islamabad-based district and sessions judge also imposed Rs100,000 fine on Khan, adding that he would be kept in jail for another six months if failed to pay the fine. The verdict could bar Khan from politics.

“Charges of misdeclaration of assets have been proven against Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman,” Mr. Dilawar said in his judgment.

The verdict comes after the Islamabad High Court set aside a trial court verdict and instructed the local court to decide the matter of maintainability again after a fresh hearing of the case.. The trial court in Islamabad resumed hearing the Toshakhana reference filed by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) against the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman on August 4.

The Toshakhana issue over the sale of state gifts received by the former cricketer-turned-politician became a major issue in national politics after the ECP disqualified Khan on October 21, 2022, for making “false statements and incorrect declaration”.

The Toshakhana is a department under the administrative control of the Cabinet Division and stores precious gifts given to rulers, parliamentarians, bureaucrats, and officials by heads of other governments and states and foreign dignitaries.

The Toshakhana issue over the sale of state gifts received by the former cricketer-turned-politician became a major issue in national politics after the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) disqualified Mr. Khan for making “false statements and incorrect declaration”.

With Thanks Reference to: https://www.thehindu.com/news/international/former-prime-minister-imran-khan-sentenced-to-3-years-in-toshakhana-corruption-case/article67161277.ece