Judge video scandal: Court acquits Nasir Janjua, two others due to lack of evidence

Judge video scandal: Court acquits Nasir Janjua, two others due to lack of evidence

Islamabad (Web Desk): A local court in Islamabad on Saturday acquitted three suspects in the Judge Arshad Malik video scandal due to a lack of evidence.

According to details, no evidence was found against Nasir Janjua, Khurram Yousaf and Ghulam Jillani.

The three were arrested earlier this week and sent on a five-day physical remand.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) told the court that no evidence was found against them during the investigation after which the court ordered to free them.

During an earlier hearing, Nasir Janjua's lawyer had repeatedly argued that the FIA's report stated that the plan to record the video, in which judge Malik allegedly confessed to convicting former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills reference under pressure, according to the PML-N, was hatched by Nasir Butt, and that his clients had nothing to do with it.

Earlier this summer, a video went viral on social media and purportedly showed judge Arshad Malik admitting to passing a verdict against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif despite a lack of evidence.

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) removed accountability judge Arshad Malik due to controversial video on July 12.

The acting chief justice of IHC Justice Amir Farooq wrote a letter to law ministry, requesting the law ministry to remove accountability court judge Arshad Malik over the video controversy.

Earlier, judge Malik had written a letter to the IHC refuting PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz’s allegations and the video purportedly showing the judge admitting to lack of evidence against former PM Nawaz Sharif.

In an affidavit submitted to the IHC, Malik denied the contents of the video and termed them as edited, fabricated and aimed to defame him.

In August, the IHC ordered disciplinary proceedings against Malik for violating the code of conduct. Arshad Malik had termed the video edited, fabricated, and aimed at defaming him.

Judge Malik, on Dec 4, 2018, had handed ousted prime minister Nawaz Sharif seven years in jail in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption reference. He, however, had acquitted him in a second reference related to Flagship Investments.