ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: A former chief of Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI), the country's premier spy agency, was sentenced to 14 years in prison, the military said.

Lt. Gen. Faiz Hameed (Retd), former director general of the ISI, was sentenced more than a year after court-martial proceedings began against him on multiple charges, including violating the Official Secrets Act.

The military said the court-martial lasted 15 months.

"The accused was tried on four charges related to engaging in political activities, violation of the Official Secrets Act detrimental to the safety and interest of the state, misuse of authority and government resources, and causing wrongful loss" to individuals, the statement said. It did not specify who suffered any such loss, however.

Hameed was guilty on all charges after "lengthy and laborious" legal proceedings, and he was sentenced to 14 years in prison. The court-martial complied with all legal requirements, and Hameed was afforded full rights of defense, including counsel of his choice, the military said. Hameed has the right to appeal.

Hameed was widely known to be a close associate of imprisoned former Prime Minister Imran Khan, who is serving multiple sentences on graft and other charges since he was arrested in 2023.

Almost all of Pakistan's major political parties hailed the verdict.

Information Minister, Attaullah Tarar, stated that the verdict against Hameed was based entirely on evidence presented during the trial. In a statement, he said the former spy chief was given "every opportunity" to defend himself.

"Today's decision is a victory of truth and justice," he said.

Imran Khan was ousted in a no-confidence vote in April 2022. Since then, he has publicly criticized the military, the current Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, and the United States for his ouster. However, Sharif, the army, and Washington have denied the allegation.

Syed Muhammad Ali, an Islamabad-based security analyst, said "Faiz Hameed was found guilty on all four counts — misuse of office and state resources, violation of the Official Secrets Act, harming the public interest and engaging in politics," he told The Associated Press. "The decision signals the military leadership's intent that no officer, regardless of rank, will be allowed to engage in politics, and Hameed's case has been made an example for all retired officers."

Hameed was detained in 2024 following an internal probe ordered by Pakistan's Supreme Court into allegations linked to what became known as the Top City project scam. The Top City company had been developing land near Islamabad for a private housing project.

Since his arrest, neither the military nor the government had publicly disclosed the specific charges against him.