Imran Khan’s corruption conviction and three-year jail term suspended
A corruption conviction against Imran Khan has been suspended – with his three-year jail term overturned.
While this is a legal victory for the embattled former Pakistani prime minister, Sky News has been told he won’t be leaving jail – and has been held on remand.
The police want him to remain in custody for up to 14 days – and tomorrow, a judge will decide how long Khan should stay locked up for – or whether to release him.
Khan was sentenced earlier this month for unlawfully selling state gifts in office, with an appeals court reviewing the verdict.
Islamabad High Court also granted bail for Khan, but he still faces a multitude of other allegations – including leaking state secrets and orchestrating violent protests.
The 70-year-old has already been arrested on charges of compromising national security.
Following his corruption conviction, he was barred from running for office for five years – but the appeals court’s decision means he will be able to contest the upcoming parliamentary elections.
Babar Awan, a senior lawyer representing the politician, told reporters: “Imran Khan is again entitled to lead his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party after today’s court order.”
Analysis: Khan is still in jeopardy
Cordelia Lynch
@CordeliaSkyNews
Pakistani politics can be wildly unpredictable – and today was a perfect illustration of how quickly things can turn.
Senior leadership in his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf party said they were “happy, relieved, a little surprised even” after his three-year sentence on corruption charges was overturned.
There was speculation about when he would leave the high-security Attock jail – and whether a five-year ban on him running for political office would be removed.
But less than two hours later, a Special Court judge ordered that the ex-PM should stay in jail tonight, and appear before a court tomorrow to face another charge: breaching the Official Secrets Act by leaking a diplomatic cable.
Once again, Khan is in jeopardy.
His legal team has filed a petition with the High Court to stop him being arrested on any other charges.
But he faces more than 100 – and it has always felt somewhat inevitable that, if he was released from the latest sentence, he was unlikely to walk free without complication.
Khan’s legal team had argued that he was convicted without being given the right to defend himself.
He has denied the charges and insists he did not violate any rules, and will face a retrial in due course.
The former cricketing hero was ousted from power following a no-confidence vote in parliament last year.
Khan had fallen out with Pakistan’s influential military – and his attempts to rally popular support have stirred political turmoil in a country already struggling through one of its worst economic crises.
On Monday, murder abetment charges against Khan were dismissed – with the case relating to the death of a Supreme Court lawyer who was killed in a drive-by shooting in June.
Upcoming national elections may be delayed by up to four months – with officials claiming they need more time to redraw constituency maps following a recent census.