Former Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan was arrested on Saturday after being sentenced to three years in prison in a corruption case, police and a government source said.
Khan, Pakistan’s prime minister from 2018 until he was ousted in April 2022, was found guilty in a case over gifts he received while in office, and was sentenced to three years in prison, state television reported Saturday.
“Judge Humayun Dilawar announced that involvement in corrupt practices has been proven,” Pakistan TV reported.
The former prime minister was not present at the sentencing hearing, but was arrested.
Lahore police reported that Khan had been detained by officers from the Islamabad force.
“I just found out that Imran Khan has been arrested,” Attaullah Tarar, a special assistant to current Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, told reporters.
Khan has been the subject of more than 150 legal proceedings since his removal from power, charges he says are politically motivated.
“We are going to appeal the verdict,” Intezar Hussain Panjutha, one of the defense lawyers, told AFP.
Khan, 70, a former cricket star, was arrested on May 9 in Islamabad on corruption charges.
Three days later he was released on bail as the courts found that his arrest had been illegal.
His detention sparked several days of chaos. Thousands of his supporters set fire to buildings and blocked roads in various regions.
The government deployed the army and at least nine people died in the clashes, according to police and health sources.
