Congressman Sherman Statement on Conviction of Former PM Imran Khan

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan and his wife were sentenced on Wednesday to 14 years in prison for corruption, his lawyer and prison officials said, a day after another special court convicted Khan of leaking state secrets and gave him a 10-year prison sentence. Khan and his wife were accused in the most recent case of retaining and selling state gifts when the former premier was in power.

Congressman Brad Sherman (CA-32), senior Member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, issued the following statement in response to this latest development: "Concerned to hear reports that Imran Khan's trials may not have been conducted fairly. Due process and respect for the rule of law ahead of Pakistan's elections are essential."

The court also disqualified Khan for years from holding any public office, ahead of Pakistan's Feb. 8 parliamentary elections. Khan's lawyer Babar Awan said the former prime minister was convicted and sentenced in such a hurry that the judge did not wait for the arrival of his legal team, claiming Khan's basic human and fundamental rights had been violated, and that the latest conviction and sentencing would be challenged in higher courts.

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