Imran Khan and Wife Sentenced in State Gifts Fraud Case

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi have been sentenced to additional prison terms in a fraud case involving a luxury jewellery set gifted by Saudi Arabia. Khan received 10 years for criminal breach of trust and seven years for criminal misconduct, with fines, to run concurrently with existing sentences. Khan’s legal team plans to appeal, describing the charges as politically motivated, amid over 100 other cases against him, including corruption and terrorism-related charges.

Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, have been handed additional prison sentences in connection with a high-profile fraud case involving state gifts, adding to the series of legal challenges the former cricket star-turned-politician is currently facing. The case, referred to as Toshakhana 2, centers on a luxury Bulgari jewellery set that was gifted to Bushra Bibi by Saudi Arabia’s Crown Prince Mohammed bin Salman during a state visit in 2021. Under Pakistan’s Toshakhana rules, all gifts received by officials during state visits are to be deposited with the state treasury. While politicians are allowed to purchase these items back, they must do so at a fair market value. Khan is alleged to have instructed a private firm to undervalue the jewellery set, allowing him to buy it back at a significantly reduced price, an act the court deemed illegal.
In the latest verdict, Khan was sentenced to 10 years in prison for criminal breach of trust and an additional seven years for criminal misconduct. Bushra Bibi received a corresponding sentence. Both were also fined over 16 million Pakistani rupees (£42,600). These new sentences are set to run concurrently with the prison terms Khan and Bibi are already serving for previous convictions. Khan’s legal team has stated that they were only informed of the sentencing late on Friday night, after regular court hours, and plan to challenge the verdict in the high court, describing the charges as politically motivated.
This Toshakhana 2 case forms part of a much broader legal battle for Khan, who has been detained since August 2023. He has faced charges in more than 100 cases, ranging from corruption and selling state gifts to leaking state secrets. In January 2025, he was sentenced to 14 years in prison in a separate corruption case. Other outstanding cases include terrorism-related charges connected to violent protests on 9 May 2023, during which he was previously arrested.
Despite his imprisonment, Khan has maintained a presence on social media, with messages attributed to him frequently appearing on his X account following jail visits. These posts have been highly critical of Pakistan’s current government and the powerful military establishment, including Field Marshall Asim Munir, whom Khan has publicly referred to as a “tyrannical dictator” and “mentally unstable person.” His social media activity has continued even though he has had severely limited visitation rights; after a campaign by his family and political party, his sister was allowed to visit him in early December, but no family visits have been permitted since.
Khan served as Pakistan’s prime minister until April 2022, when he was ousted via a vote of no confidence. The Toshakhana 2 case, along with his other legal challenges, has kept him out of public life while fueling political debates within the country. The court reportedly took Khan’s age into consideration, showing leniency in sentencing, but his legal team continues to pursue appeals and challenges to both the Toshakhana 2 verdict and his other pending cases, highlighting the ongoing legal and political complexities surrounding the former leader.