Jailed former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s appeal against his conviction in the Toshakhana corruption case is set to be heard by the Islamabad High Court on August 22, it was revealed on Wednesday.
Imran Khan was sentenced to three-year imprisonment by a sessions court on August 5. The conviction was based on allegations that he concealed proceeds from the sale of state gifts (Toshakhana). Khan, the leader of the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party, is currently incarcerated in Attock Jail within the Punjab province.
The court found Khan guilty of engaging in corrupt practices by deliberately and knowingly hiding benefits he gained from the national exchequer. It was determined that Khan provided inaccurate and false information regarding gifts he received from the Toshakhana.
The Toshakhana, overseen by the Cabinet Division, is responsible for safeguarding gifts bestowed upon rulers and government officials by foreign leaders and dignitaries.
The cricketer-turned-politician has appealed his conviction to the Islamabad High Court, which has constituted a division bench composed of Chief Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Tariq Mehmood Jahangiri to commence the hearing on August 22.
According to the appeal, Khan’s legal counsel was unable to effectively counter the final arguments presented by the Election Commission Pakistan (ECP) lawyer during the trial in the lower court. This was due to Khan’s legal team preparing to file the appeal and concurrently submitting an application for transferring the case to another court.
The petition asserts that the trial court had a pre-existing bias, leading to Khan’s conviction. The verdict imposed a three-year prison sentence and a fine of PKR 100,000. Furthermore, the conviction results in Khan’s disqualification from participating in general elections.
The Toshakhana case was initiated in October 2022 by the ECP, which had previously disqualified Khan for concealing assets. This marks the second occasion in three months that Khan has been arrested in connection with corruption allegations. Earlier, on May 9, he was detained in Islamabad from the high court premises in relation to the Al-Qadir Trust corruption case, which subsequently incited intense protests by his supporters.
Khan is currently facing over 140 cases across the nation, including charges of terrorism, violence, blasphemy, corruption, and murder since his removal from office in April 2022.
(With ANI Inputs)