Pakistani mafia using bribes, blackmail like Sicilian mafia to pressurise judiciary: PM Imran

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday said the Pakistani mafia uses tricks such as blackmail and threats to pressurise the judiciary and other institutions just like the Sicilian mafia.

The prime minister in a post on Twitter said, “In a similar vein to the 'Sicilian mafia', the Pakistani mafia uses tactics of bribe, threat, blackmail and begging to pressurise state institutions and judiciary in order to protect their billions of money laundering stashed abroad.”

The prime minister’s tweet came after accountability judge Arshad Malik who is currently embroiled in a video controversy claimed in a letter written to the Islamabad High Court (IHC) that he was offered Rs100 million as a bribe. 

In the letter, judge Malik claimed he was offered Rs 500 million bribe by former premier Nawaz Sharif’s son Hussain Nawaz along with his entire family settlement abroad if he resigned on the grounds that he could no longer deal with the guilt of convicting Nawaz without evidence.

“The two persons, including Nasir Janjua and Mahar Jilani, have been meeting him since he was appointed Accountability Court-II Judge Islamabad and demanding him to give the decision in favour of former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in HME and Flagship Investment references.

Hussain Nawaz refutes claims of bribing judge Arshad Malik

Judge Arshad Malik in a letter submitted to IHC claimed he was offered a Rs 500 million bribe by Hussain Nawaz

“Nasir Janjua came to meet me and claimed that he had the cash equivalent of Rs 100 million in Euros for me immediately available out of which the Euro equivalent of Rs 20 million was laying in his car parked outside.

"I was told that Mian Sahib is willing to pay whatever I demand on acquitting him in both references. However, I declined the bribe offered to me while committing remains sticking to merits,” he said in his letter.