Former Pakistani prime minister Imran Khan jailed for 17 years over state gift fraud

Former Pakistan prime minister and cricketer Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have been jailed for 17 years for buying state gifts at a knock-down price.

Luxury watches and jewellery were gifted to Khan while he was prime minister by Saudi Arabia's Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during official visits. Under Pakistani law, if government officials and politicians wish to keep gifts received from foreign dignitaries, they must buy them from the state at the market value - and declare any proceeds earned from selling them.

But prosecutors said Khan, 73, and ‌his wife paid a heavily ⁠discounted fee for the gifts - violating Pakistani rules. The couple pleaded not guilty when they were indicted last year.

Prosecutors argued he and his wife declared the value of the gifts at little over $10,000 (£7,500), far below their actual market value of $285,500 (£213,000), allowing them to purchase the items at a reduced price. They were handed 10 years' rigorous imprisonment under Pakistan's penal code for criminal ‌breach of trust, and a further seven years under anti-corruption laws, Pakistan's Federal Investigation Agency announced.

The latest conviction adds to a series of legal setbacks for Khan, who has been behind bars since August 2023, and is currently serving a 14-year sentence in a separate corruption case. He faces dozens of cases filed since he was ousted from office in 2022, ranging from corruption ‍to anti-terrorism and state secrets charges.

Khan has denied wrongdoing in all the cases, which his party says are politically motivated. In a recent interview with Sky News' The World with Yalda Hakim, Khan's sons said they fear they might never see their father again.

They also claimed he was being "psychologically tortured" in a "death cell". Khan is one of the country's most celebrated cricketers, who captained his country to World Cup victory in 1992.

Khan's jail term from Saturday's ruling would begin after he has served the 14 years from the separate land graft case, information minister Attaullah Tarar said. Read more from Sky News:Indian high-speed train hits and kills seven elephantsAustralia plans gun buyback scheme after Bondi Beach attack Zulfi Bukhari, a spokesperson for Khan, said the verdict "ignores basic principles of justice" and turns the process into "a tool for selective prosecution." Khan has reportedly told ‌his legal team to appeal the decision at the Islamabad High Court.

Khan, a former cricket star turned politician, remains one of Pakistan's most polarising figures. His Pakistan ‍Tehreek-e-Insaf party - which was founded in 1996 - remains sidelined from power..