Judge video scandal case transferred to ATC

ISLAMABAD: The Sessions Judge Islamabad has transferred infamous case of former accountability Judge Arshad Malik’s video scandal case here on Monday to anti-terrorist court (ATC) for further proceedings.

Judge video scandal case took another turn when Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) went to Cybercrime Court, Islamabad to get physical remand of two accused named Hamza Arif Butt and Faisal Shaheen in Judge video scandal case. The Cybercrime Court has directed FIA to contact ATC for further proceedings of case in this regard.

During the hearing, suspects’ defence council pleaded with the court to reject transfer of the case to the ATC as terrorism clauses were inapplicable to the case.

To reply, the judge remarked that Section 7 ATA was already been included in the case and therefore it needed to be transferred to the ATC.

On this direction, FIA officials went to Anti-Terrorist Court (ATC) and got a seven-day physical remand of two accused Arif Butt and Faisal Shaheen in Judge video scandal case. The ATC judge directed FIA to present the accused again on October 14, 2019.

According to FIA officials, the suspects have admitted to their involvement in filming the controversial video of former Accountability Judge Arshad Malik using phone which was then transferred into laptop.

On September 30, the court expressed displeasure at the FIA for not submitting a final charge sheet in Judge Video Scandal Case. Subsequently, the court directed the agency to file the charge sheet by October 7.

On September 23, Cybercrime Court Judge Tahir Mehmood Khan had directed the FIA to submit the charge sheet after the investigation agency in the interim charge sheet informed the court that the inquiry into the case had been transferred from the Cybercrime wing to the Counterterrorism wing.

Former Judge Arshad Malik had convicted Nawaz Sharif in the Flagship reference. In his affidavit, he confessed that accused Nasir Janjua, Ghulam Jilani and Khurram Yousaf pressurized him for favorable decision because of his immoral video.

In September, a local court had acquitted three accused due to lack of evidences against them.

The sources disclosed that Civil Judge Shaista Kundi had excused hearing the case because three accused named Nasir Janjua, Ghulam Jilani and Khurram Yousaf approached her for acquittal. The Civil Judge reported the Islamabad High Court and excused herself from the case. Later she was issued an appreciation certificate for her code of conduct and discipline by IHC Chief Justice Athar Minallah.