Islamabad, Pakistan – Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was sentenced on Friday to 14 years in prison, and his wife Bushra Bibi to seven years in prison in a case of abuse of power and corruption related to Khan’s Qadir University Project Fund.

Khan was also fined 1 million Pakistani rupees ($3,500), while Bibi was fined half that amount.

An accountability court operates out of Adiala Jail in Rawalpindi, where Khan has been imprisoned ever since August 2023It had reserved its ruling in December last year and postponed the announcement three times. Bibi was arrested from the court headquarters.

Khan, who did not appear in court on January 13 when the sentencing was postponed for a third time, had previously claimed that the delay was an attempt to “pressure” him.

This is the fourth major case in which the former prime minister has been convicted.

Three previous convictions, announced in January last year, were linked to Selling state gifts, Leaking state secretsand Illegitimate marriagewhich were all of them I turned over or hanging. Despite this, Khan remains behind bars, with dozens of cases still pending against him – a situation he describes as a political witch hunt.

Khan was arrested for the first time in connection with the Al Qadir Trust case May 2023, Spend less than two days in detention. However, the arrest led to… Nationwide protests During which Khan’s supporters rioted in multiple cities.

Faisal Farid Chowdhury, Khan’s lawyer, condemned the decision as a continuation of the “false persecution” against Khan and his wife.

“This is perhaps the only case where the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was unable to prove a loss of even a penny,” the lawyer told Al Jazeera.

Chaudhry added that NAB failed to provide evidence of any financial loss to the state or any link between the Qadir Fund and the personal financial gains of Khan or his family.

“Criminal proceedings against Khan and Bushra Bibi were not proven during the trial. The entire case is politically motivated. I do not understand how setting up a trust constitutes a conflict of interest,” the lawyer said.

The indictment accused Khan and his wife of acquiring land worth billions of rupees (millions of US dollars) for the Qadir Fund from Malik Riaz, a prominent real estate tycoon in Pakistan, to establish a non-profit educational institute for the poor.

The NAB alleged that Khan, as Prime Minister from August 2018 to April 2022, entered into a quid pro quo deal with Riaz, which enabled him to launder more than $239 million. This allegedly caused huge losses to the national exchequer.

According to the National Bureau of Investigation, Khan’s PTI government gave legal cover to Riyaz’s black money, which was recovered by the UK’s National Crime Agency and handed over to the Pakistani government.

Khan was ousted from power in April 2022 via a parliamentary vote of no confidence, which he attributes to a conspiracy involving the Pakistani military and the United States, allegations they both deny.

The Pakistani army has great political influence, having directly ruled the country for nearly three decades since its formation in 1947, and was once seen as Khan’s benefactor and architect of his rise to power, before the two split. Although no prime minister in Pakistan’s history has completed his term, three of the four military dictators ruled for nearly a decade each.

The rulings against Khan and his wife coincide with ongoing negotiations between the PTI and the current government of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on several issues, including Khan’s release.

Islamabad-based lawyer Hafiz Ehsan Khokhar said the case involved exhaustive proceedings, with at least 100 hearings last year.

“The core issue is money laundering, and the NAB rulings are clear regarding dishonesty and abuse of power by public office holders. In addition, the Supreme Court and the Federal Government have been misled, and state funds have been illegally redirected for personal gain.

Political analyst Majid Nizami said that the Al-Qadir Fund case stands out among dozens of cases filed against Khan because of the extensive documentation and the time it takes for the trial.

“This case has gone on for much longer, with thousands of pages of evidence presented. There are definitely irregularities that warrant investigation,” Nizami told Al Jazeera.

However, the analyst also highlighted the long history of political victimization in Pakistan. “Instead of focusing on justice, our history shows that we tend to focus on revenge. “In this case too, the discourse will be about political victimization and not about the merits or demerits of the case,” he added.

With three rounds of negotiations already underway between the government and PTI, Nizami fears the conviction will derail the talks.

“When the talks started, it was agreed that the dialogue would continue regardless of the verdict, but the condemnation could derail these efforts,” warned Lahore-based Nizami.

He noted that internal divisions within the PTI movement may re-emerge, with factions supporting the resistance likely to prevail over those calling for patience and dialogue.

“This may again lead to a more aggressive stance on the part of PTI going forward,” he said.