Islamabad, Pakistan – Former Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan was sentenced to 14 years in prison on Friday and his wife Bushra Bibi was sentenced to seven years in prison for abuse of power related to Khan's Qadeer University Project Trust and corruption.

Khan was also fined 1 million Pakistani rupees ($3,500), while Bibi was fined half that amount.

The accountability court, where Khan has been lodged in Rawalpindi's Adiala jail since August 2023, had reserved the verdict in December last year and delayed its announcement three times. Bibi was arrested inside the court.

The sentencing was postponed for a third time on January 13 without Khan appearing in court, having earlier claimed that the postponement was to "put pressure" on him.

This is the fourth major case in which the former prime minister has been convicted.

Three earlier convictions announced last January related to the sale of state gifts, leaking state secrets and illegal marriages, all of which have been overturned or suspended. Despite this, Khan remains behind bars with dozens of cases pending against him - a situation he describes as a political persecution.

Khan was first arrested in May 2023 in connection with the Qadir Trust case and was detained for less than two days. However, the arrest sparked nationwide protests, with Khan's supporters rioting in several cities.

Khan's lawyer Faisal Farid Chowdhury condemned the decision as a continuation of the "false persecution" of Khan and his wife.

“This is probably the only case where the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) was unable to prove even a penny was lost,” the lawyer told Al Jazeera.

Chaudhry added that NAB had failed to provide evidence of any financial loss to the state or any link between the Qadir Trust and the personal financial gains of Khan or his family.

"The criminal case against Khan and Bushra Bibi was not substantiated during the prosecution. The entire case was politically motivated. I do not understand how establishing a trust constitutes a conflict of interest," the lawyer said.

The chargesheet accuses Khan and his wife of acquiring land worth billions of rupees (millions of dollars) from prominent Pakistani real estate tycoon Malik Riaz for the Qadir Trust to build a complex for the poor. A non-profit educational institution.

NAB alleges that while Khan was prime minister between August 2018 and April 2022, he entered into a quid pro quo agreement with Riaz that enabled him to launder more than $239 million. This allegedly caused significant losses to the state treasury.

According to NAB, Khan's Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government provided legal cover for Riaz's black money, which was recovered by Britain's National Crime Agency and handed over to the Pakistani government.

Khan was ousted in April 2022 through a vote of no confidence in parliament, which he attributed to a conspiracy involving the country's military and the United States, charges that both countries denied.

Pakistan's military, which wields significant political influence and has directly ruled the country for nearly three decades since its founding in 1947, was seen as Khan's benefactor and the architect of his rise to power before the two men fell out. While no prime minister in Pakistan's history has finished his term, three of the four military dictators each ruled for nearly a decade.

The sentencing of Khan and his wife comes at a time when PTI is negotiating with the government of current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on several issues, including Khan's release.

Islamabad-based lawyer Hafiz Ahsaan Khokhar said the case involved an exhaustive process, with at least 100 hearings held in the past year.

"The core issue is money laundering and NAB has clear rules on dishonesty and abuse of power by public officials. Furthermore, both the Supreme Court and the federal cabinet have been misled and state funds are being illegally diverted for personal gain," Koha told Al Jazeera TV station.

Political analyst Majid Nizami said the Qadir Trust case stood out among the dozens of cases against Khan because of its extensive documentation and lengthy prosecution.

"This case is the longest and has produced thousands of pages of evidence. There are definitely irregularities that need to be investigated," Nizami told Al Jazeera.

However, the analyst also highlighted Pakistan's long history of political victimization. "Our history shows that we tend to focus on revenge rather than on justice. In this case too, the discussion will revolve around political victimization rather than the merits of the case," he added.

As three rounds of talks have been held between the government and PTI, Nizami fears the conviction could derail the talks.

"When negotiations began, both sides agreed that dialogue would continue regardless of the verdict, but a conviction could put pressure on those efforts," Lahore-based Nizami warned.

He said divisions within the PTI may resurface and pro-resistance factions may prevail over those advocating patience and dialogue.

"This may again lead to a more aggressive stance by the PTI," he said.