IHC bars arrest of Nasir Janjua in judge video scandal

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday extended the pre-arrest bail of Nasir Janjua, one of the main accused of the video scandal involving former accountability judge Arshad Malik till July 31.

The court also barred the Federal Investigation Authority (FIA) from arresting Janjua.

Last week, Janjua had filed a petition in the IHC seeking pre-arrest bail in case of blackmailing the accountability court judge.

The court also granted Janjua protective bail till July 31.

Video scandal

Earlier this month, the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) released a video clip purportedly showing judge Malik allegedly admitting to a lack of evidence against Nawaz Sharif in the Al-Azizia Steel Mills corruption case.

Maryam Nawaz alleged that the judge had contacted Nasir Butt, a PML-N worker, and told him that he was feeling guilty and having nightmares ever since he announced the verdict that led to Nawaz Sharif's imprisonment. The judge was "blackmailed" into handing down the sentence against Nawaz Sharif after some people threatened that they would release a private video of his, she alleged.

Rs100mn was offered to me as bribe, claims judge Arshad Malik in affidavit

'Rs. 100 million in Euros for me immediately available out of which the Euro equivalent of Rs. 20 million was' outside, judge Arshad Malik claimed

She claimed the judge was under immense pressure to send the former prime minister to jail, and that he had contemplated committing suicide several times since. She said the judge did not write the verdict but "was made to write" the prison sentence for Nawaz Sharif.

Responding to the allegations, the accountability court judge has called the video presented by the PML-N as fake and fallacious. He has demanded legal action against those involved in producing the videotape.