Pakistani court suspends Imran Khan's 14-year sentence
A Pakistani court has accepted former Prime Minister Imran Khan's appeal against his conviction for bribery and suspended his 14-year prison sentence, the Pakistan Justice Movement (PTI) said.
Just a week before the February 8 elections, Khan and his wife Bushra Bibi were each sentenced to 14 years in prison on charges of illegally selling state gifts.
The former cricket star had been sentenced on a number of charges ahead of the national elections. The former prime minister was banned from holding any public office for 10 years.
The Islamabad High Court said in a statement that the couple's sentencing will be delayed until the final verdict on the conviction, which will be taken up as arguments and evidence after the Eid holidays, the party said in a statement.
Khan and his party say the cases against him are based on trumped-up charges aimed at keeping him out of politics at the behest of the country's powerful military after he fell out with army generals. The army denies these accusations.
