FORMER Pakistan prime minister Imran Khan was arrested at his home in Lahore on Saturday after a court in the capital found him guilty of graft and sentenced him to three years in jail.
The former international cricket star has long warned he would be arrested to prevent him from participating in elections that are due to be held before the end of the year.
“His dishonesty has been established beyond doubt,” judge Humayun Dilawar wrote in a ruling seen by AFP for a case centred on gifts he received and did not properly declare while he was premier.
“He has been found guilty of corrupt practices by hiding the benefits he accrued from national exchequer willfully and intentionally.”
In May, Khan was arrested and briefly detained in Islamabad for the same case, sparking deadly unrest during which supporters of his Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) party poured onto the streets and clashed with police.
In the aftermath of his release following three days in custody, PTI has been targeted by a crackdown with thousands of arrests, reports of intimidation and muzzling of the press.
After he was taken away by police Saturday, a video made before his arrest was posted to his X account.
“My arrest was expected & I recorded this message before my arrest… I want my party workers to remain peaceful, steadfast and strong,” he said in the caption accompanying the video.
Khan has faced a slew of court cases on charges he says are politically motivated since being ousted in a vote of no confidence last year, and was not present when he was sentenced Saturday.
The judge also fined him 100,000 rupees (around $350).
Soon after the ruling, police entered his home in Lahore and arrested him.
