Islamabad HC suspends Imran Khan’s conviction and three-year sentence in Toshakhana case

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court on Tuesday suspended former Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan’s conviction and three-year sentence in the Toshakhana corruption case.

A division bench comprising Islamabad High Court (IHC) Chief Justice Aamir Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri announced the much-anticipated reserved verdict.

On Monday, the IHC reserved the verdict on Khan’s plea challenging his conviction in the Toshakhana corruption case. A trial court in Islamabad had convicted and sentenced the 70-year-old Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chairman to three years in prison on August 5.

The cricketer-turned-politician was sentenced on charges of unlawfully selling state gifts acquired by him and his family during his 2018-2022 tenure. He has also been barred from politics for five years, preventing him from contesting an upcoming election.

Earlier on Monday, the IHC resumed hearing on Khan’s plea challenging his conviction in the Toshakhana corruption case. It had adjourned the case on Friday after the lawyer representing the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) did not appear due to illness.

Khan’s lawyer Latif Khosa completed his argument on Thursday, asserting that the verdict was given in haste and full of shortcomings. He urged the court to set aside the sentence but the defence team demanded more time to complete its arguments.

Separately, a three-member Supreme Court panel led by Chief Justice Umar Ata Bandial heard petitions against the Toshakhana case on Monday. The party said that the top court would hear the case today after the announcement of the verdict by the Islamabad High Court.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had observed that there were “shortcomings” in the judgment of the sessions court. The panel observed that the verdict was given in haste and without giving the right of defence to the accused. “Prima facie, there are shortcomings in the trial court verdict,” the chief justice said.