Former accountability judge Arshad Malik, who had handed a verdict against former prime minister Nawaz Sharif in the Al-Azizia reference, has died from the coronavirus. Malik was admitted to a private hospital after his condition worsened. He remained critical for the past two days and was placed on the ventilator. Malik is survived by two sons and two daughters. Judge Arshad Malik had stoked controversy when he claimed that he had sentenced former prime minister Nawaz Sharif under duress in the Al-Azizia reference case. In December 2018, Nawaz was handed seven years in jail in Al-Azizia reference by Judge Arshad Malik and also fined US $25 million. But 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 that broke in 2019, and which sent ripples through political and legal circles.