A court docket in Pakistan on Monday suspended the conviction of former prime minister Imran Khan and his spouse on one among a number of graft expenses, his spokesman mentioned, however the couple have been unlikely to stroll free on different expenses.
The Islamabad Excessive Court docket mentioned Khan's trial within the decrease court docket that led to a 14-year jail sentence in January didn’t meet authorized necessities, its spokesman Ahmed Janjua mentioned.
Khan, who was ousted from the nation's parliament in April 2022 following a no-confidence vote, was convicted of stealing costly presents he had obtained as prime minister.
Pakistani regulation requires state officers to deposit presents from different nations into the nationwide treasury.
The excessive court docket will resume listening to Khan's enchantment later this month to contemplate whether or not the conviction might be overturned, Janjua mentioned.
Khan, who got here to energy on the again of the help of the nation's highly effective army in 2018, was ousted after he fell out with generals over the appointment of the spy chief.
The army has dominated Pakistan for nearly half of its existence and has a big affect on politics.
Khan's celebration gained extra seats within the nationwide parliament than the opposite teams, however couldn’t type a authorities as its opponents fashioned a coalition.
The previous sports activities star can’t run for re-election resulting from his conviction for a number of monetary and ethical crimes.
Khan's predecessor, Nawaz Sharif, is a frontrunner to develop into the prime minister now. He was convicted weeks earlier than the 2018 election on related expenses.