Former Pakistani PM Imran Khan Arrested and Sentenced to Jail in Toshakhana Corruption Case

On Saturday, August 5, 2023, the police arrested former Prime Minister of Pakistan Imran Khan in Lahore from his home after a trial court in Islamabad sentenced him to three years in jail for deliberately selling the state’s official goods, also known as the Toshakhana corruption case. He was fined 100,000 Pakistani rupees and disqualified from politics for 5 years.

Mr. Khan has been accused of exploiting his term from 2018 to 2022 to acquire and sell presents in state possession worth more than Rs. 140 million obtained during foreign travels. He denies the accusations. However, one of the most valuable items he sold was a special Holy Kaaba edition Graff watch given to him by Saudi Crown Prince Mohammed Bin Salman.

According to a judgment issued by District and Session Judge Humayun Dilwar, Mr. Khan Khan “Cheated by offering details regarding the presents he had received from Toshkhana that subsequently turned out to be fraudulent and inaccurate. He showed his deceit without a shadow of an uncertainty.” Mr. Khan failed to show up in court to attend the hearing, so the judge issued an arrest warrant for him.

During the hearing, the court imposed a fine of Rs. 100,000 on the Tehreek-e-insaf chief in connection with a criminal complaint registered against him by the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) related to the concealing of details of Toshakhana Gifts.

“Imran Khan deliberately submitted fake details to the Election Commission of Pakistan and is found guilty of corrupt practices,” Dawn quoted the judge as saying, who sent the PTI chief to jail for three years under Section 174 of the Election Act.

Lawyers also anticipate that if Mr. Khan is convicted in the matter, he will be unable to run in the national elections scheduled to take place in November and could also be sentenced to serve three years in jail.

The Toshakhana Corruption Case: Exquisite Details lead to the arrest
Imran Khan, aged 70, has been convicted in the Toshakhana Case, which erupted last year following a criminal complaint from the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP). Intriguingly, he has previously faced disqualification from the ECP in connection with the captioned case.

Interestingly, the verdict was announced just a day after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) overturned a session court’s decision to pursue criminal proceedings against Khan related to the case, as Khan bought some of the gifts, including a precious watch, and sold the same for a profit.

The Toshakhana issue technically revolves around the controversy of selling the gifts received by the former cricketer-turned-politician. This matter gained considerable prominence in National Politics when the ECP disqualified Khan on October 21, 2022, citing his involvement in making “false statements and incorrect declarations” regarding the case.

PTI claims the Imran Khan case verdict to be biased:
The ruling by the Additional District and Sessions Judge, Humayun Dilawar, in the Toshakhana case has drawn strong condemnation from Imran Khan’s PTI party. The party has labeled the verdict as ‘biased’ and has declared its intention to contest the ruling through the higher judicature.

In their statement, the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaaf party vehemently rejected the decision made by the Additional District and Sessions Judge, Humayun Dilawar, whom they accused of being biased. They characterized the ruling as yet another blemish on the justice system due to its handling of the Toshakhana case.

According to PTI, the trial was conducted in an exceptionally absurd manner, making it the worst trial in history. They went on to criticize Judge Dilawar, alleging that his biases and moral corruption threatened the very essence of justice and attempted to subvert it during the proceedings.

-Yusra Chand

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Yusra ChandContent Writer

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