TheCable

Imran Khan, former Pakistan prime minister, has been sentenced to three years imprisonment for illegally selling state gifts.

A trial court in Islamabad, the country’s capital, issued the ruling on Saturday.

The court also barred Khan from politics for five years.

Khan was Pakistan’s prime minister from 2018 until his removal in 2022.

The 70-year-old was accused of incorrectly declaring details of presents from foreign dignitaries and proceeds from their alleged sale.

The gifts, worth more than 140 million Pakistani rupees ($635,000), included watches given by a royal family, a ring and a pair of cufflinks.

Khan was not present at the hearing on Saturday.

Shortly after the court verdict, the cricketer-turned-politician was arrested by the police at his residence in Lahore, the eastern district of the country.

According to Reuters, Intezar Panjotha, Khan’s lawyer, said the judgment will be appealed at a higher court.

Khan is facing more than 100 cases in Pakistan since his ouster as the country’s prime minister in 2022.

He has denied any wrongdoing, saying the charges are politically motivated.

The ex-prime minister was initially arrested in May, a development which was followed by violent protests across the country.

At least eight people died in the demonstrations with 1,400 arrested, according to the police.