Former accountability court judge Arshad Malik passed away on Friday in Islamabad after he contracted novel coronavirus, reported media.

The former judge was receiving treatment at a private hospital in Islamabad and was shifted to a ventilator two days ago after his condition became critical, reported Dawn.

In December 2018, Judge Arshad Malik had sentenced the former premier Nawaz Sharif to seven years in jail after convicting him in the Al Azizia and Hill Metal Establishment corruption reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) following Supreme Court's Panama gate verdict.

In July 2019, PML-N vice-president and daughter of deposed prime minister Maryam Nawaz shared a video and audio clips of Malik allegedly confessing that he convicted Nawaz under 'pressure'. After the video surfaced, Malik was suspended by Islamabad High Court and repatriated Malik to the Lahore High Court - his parent department.

In July 2020, after a year-long inquiry, the Lahore High Court’s (LHC) administration committee had removed Malik from service on charges of misconduct relating to a video scandal.