Pakistan's Financial Accountability Court has ordered the arrest of former Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife, Bushra Bibi, for an eight-day period on fresh charges of "misuse of power to misappropriate gifts from the state treasury of Toshakhana." The Express Tribune reported that the National Accountability Bureau, which investigates corruption offenses, ordered the arrest.
This development comes just days after an Islamabad court granted Khan and his wife's appeal on July 13, overturning a verdict in an illegal marriage case. The new arrest appears to be a formal reason to extend the couple's detention, which was set to end following the invalidation of the marriage law violation verdict.
Khan and Bibi's lawyers contend that the arrest is illegal and have stated that a bail petition has already been submitted to the Supreme Court.
The former Pakistani PM was already serving prison sentences for two convictions handed down earlier this year. In January, Khan was sentenced to 10 years in prison for violating the Official Secrets Act. In February, both Khan and Bibi received seven-year sentences for entering into an illegal marriage. However, both sentences were later invalidated by Pakistani courts of various instances.
Khan served as Pakistan's Prime Minister from 2018 to 2022. He was removed from office on April 10, 2022, following a vote of no confidence. The investigation into Khan's alleged violation of state secrets began after he publicly claimed on March 27, 2022, to have received an encrypted telegram from Pakistan's ambassador to Washington, D.C. According to Khan, the telegram indicated that U.S. representatives had recommended his removal from power due to his "pro-Russian stance on Ukraine" demonstrated during his visit to Moscow in February 2022.
GSV "Russia - Islamic World"
Photo: official website of the President of the Russian Federation
Based on materials from TASS