Islamabad (Web Desk): Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) founder and former premier Imran Khan and his spouse Bushra Bibi were convicted on Saturday in the Toshakhana-2 case after a trial court issued its written ruling, holding both responsible for criminal breach of trust.
Under the verdict, Khan received a total prison term of 17 years, comprising 10 years under Section 409 of the Pakistan Penal Code and an additional seven years under the Anti-Corruption Act. Bushra Bibi was also sentenced to 17 years’ imprisonment.
The court imposed a fine of Rs16,425,650 on each of them, with an extra six months in jail to be served in case of non-payment.
Immediately after the decision, prison officials began enforcing the sentence and completed the required formalities in line with the court’s order.
Bushra Bibi’s bail in the case automatically came to an end following the conviction. As both she and Khan were already serving sentences in the 190 million pound case, the punishment in the Toshakhana-2 matter also became effective from the same day.
In its written judgment, the court observed that the prosecution had established its allegations against both accused beyond doubt.
The judge noted that the minimum permissible punishment was imposed, taking into account Khan’s age and the fact that Bushra Bibi is a woman. The period already spent in custody was also adjusted against their sentences.
The case revolves around accusations that the couple unlawfully kept a Bulgari jewellery set presented as a gift by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during their visit to Saudi Arabia from July 7 to July 10, 2021.
Khan and Bushra Bibi have consistently maintained that they retained the gift after paying half of its assessed value.
According to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), the jewellery set — which included a necklace, bracelet, ring and earrings — was valued at more than Rs70 million. The FIA, through the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, obtained a Letter of Mutual Legal Assistance from Italy, the home country of Bulgari, and placed official documentation of the original price on the court record.
Prosecutors argued that the accused deliberately had the jewellery grossly undervalued at Rs5.9 million by a private firm and failed to deposit it in the Toshakhana, the official state repository for gifts, in violation of the rules.
The valuation was carried out by private appraiser Sohail Abbasi and later assessed by customs authorities. Abbasi told the court that Khan’s former private secretary, Inamullah Shah, pressured him to lower the valuation.
Khan and Bushra Bibi were taken into custody by the National Accountability Bureau on July 13, 2024, while they were already detained at Adiala Jail. They remained under NAB custody for 37 days. After the Supreme Court reinstated amendments to the NAB law on September 9, the Accountability Court transferred the case to an FIA court.
The trial formally commenced on September 16, 2024, with Special Judge (Central) Shahrukh Arjumand holding the first hearing inside Adiala Jail.
Bushra Bibi secured bail from the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on October 23 and was released a day later. Khan was granted bail on November 20, while the court formally framed charges on December 12.
Proceedings continued for nearly a year, during which more than 80 hearings were conducted and 20 prosecution witnesses testified.
Among the key witnesses were former military secretary Brigadier (retd) Muhammad Ahmed, appraiser Sohail Abbasi and former private secretary Inamullah Shah.
The prosecution team comprised Federal Prosecutor Zulfiqar Abbas Naqvi, Barrister Umair Majid Malik, Bilal Butt and Shahvez Gilani. The defence was represented by Arshad Tabraiz, Qausain Faisal Mufti and Barrister Salman Safdar.
Speaking to reporters outside Adiala Jail, Barrister Safdar said the defence team was informed late on Friday night that proceedings would take place at 9am on Saturday. He claimed the court had earlier fixed the day for arguments rather than for announcing a verdict.
“The judge acted unlawfully. The decision was announced without the presence of our lawyers,” Safdar alleged, adding that the court issued a 59-page written judgment. He said Khan had instructed him to file an appeal before the high court.
PTI leader Salman Akram Raja also criticised the proceedings, saying there was an order requiring the presence of family members during the hearing and that the defence team had a right to be present.
He dismissed the case as hollow, alleging it was built on weak evidence. “They have no real witness except the individual whom the PTI founder himself removed,” he said.
Imran’s sister, Aleema Khan, described the verdict as another example of what she called ongoing injustice over the past two and a half years. She said the family had been in Lahore and could not reach Adiala Jail due to heavy fog, while authorities had placed barricades about a kilometre away.