ISLAMABAD (Reuters) – A Pakistani high court will take up jailed former Prime Minister Imran Khan’s appeal on Wednesday against his conviction on corruption charges, his lawyer said.
Khan was barred from holding any public office for five years after he began a three year sentence on Saturday on charges of unlawfully selling state gifts acquired by him and his family during his 2018-2022 tenure.
The court will start proceedings on the appeal later on Wednesday, his lawyer Naeem Panjutha said, adding, “Imran Khan will be freed if his case is heard on merit.”
Khan, who has denied any wrongdoing, was arrested at his Lahore house and taken to a prison near Islamabad.
Khan’s legal team has filed the appeal seeking to set aside the guilty verdict.
Khan, 70, has been at the heart of political turmoil since he was ousted as prime minister in a vote of no-confidence last year, raising concern about Pakistan’s stability as it grapples with an economic crisis.
(Reporting by Asif Shahzad, Editing by William Maclean)
