Money laundering case : Third judge recuses from hearing bail plea of Axact CEO

KARACHI: The Additional Sessions Judge (South), Sarah Junejo on Saturday recused herself from hearing the bail plea for Axact CEO Shoaib Shaikh. Judge Junejo advised the defendant's legal counsel to obtain a new date for the hearing till the case is transferred to another judge. Junejo is the third judge to recuse herself from hearing the cases against the Axact CEO, according to Geo News. On Friday, Sindh High Court's Judge Salahuddin Panwar had refused to hear Shaikh's bail plea, transferring it to Judge Saleem Jaiser who also recused himself from hearing the petition. Judge Jaiser then forwarded the bail petition to Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar. During today's hearing, Shaikh failed to appear before the court, however, co-defendants Zeeshan Anwar and Zeeshan Ahmed were present in the court. Shaikh's lawyer Ahteshamullah, who had expressed no-confidence on Junejo during a previous hearing, protested against the issuance of orders from the judge's chambers, demanding that she should appear in the courtroom. Later, he requested transferring the case to another court. The next hearing of both the money laundering and fake degree cases, will take place on March 29.