Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have been sentenced to 14 years in prison, a day after the former Pakistan prime minister was jailed for 10 years.
Khan, who was ousted as PM by his opponents in 2022, is already serving a three-year jail term after being convicted of corruption.
On Tuesday he was sentenced for leaking state secrets, and on Wednesday given 14 years in another corruption case.
Khan has said the numerous cases against him are politically motivated.
It is the second conviction against him in as many days- and the verdicts come a week before Pakistan’s elections.
Khan retains immense popularity across the country but has been barred from standing in the 8 February vote. His party, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), has also faced campaigning restrictions.
It’s not yet been confirmed but it’s believed that Khan will be able to serve the sentences concurrently.
The former premier and international cricket star has already been detained since last August when he was arrested, serving time mostly at Adiala jail in Rawalpindi.
His wife Bushra Bibi, who had been out on remand, also surrendered at the jail on Wednesday. She has typically kept a low profile during their period in office. The two married in 2018, months before Khan was elected prime minister.
Both had strongly denied the accusations brought against them by Pakistan’s anti-corruption watchdog. They were alleged to have sold or kept state gifts they had received while in office for personal profit. Such gifts included a jewellery set from the Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia.
They were convicted of the charges on Wednesday. Along with the 14-year prison terms, the court ordered them to pay a fine of about 1.5 billion rupees (£4.2m;$5.3m).
On Wednesday, Khan’s PTI party said that the sentencing further meant that the former PM will also be disqualified for 10 years from holding public office.
A spokesman for his party described the ruling as: “Another sad day in our judicial system history, which is being dismantled.”
Source: BBC NEWS
