Despite strong evidence of Armaghan’s involvement in a multimillion-dollar transnational fraud scheme, he has still been able to make bail due to prosecutorial shortcomings caused either by the government’s lawyers or investigators. Despite 40 witnesses, including two eyewitnesses, the murder case has been stagnant for several months after indictments were issued. Bail was granted against a surety bond of just Rs100,000 because, his lawyer argued, no charge sheet had been filed in that specific case and no witnesses had appeared.
It is also worth remembering that the relatively young anti-cybercrime arm of the FIA has recently been establishing a reputation as one of the most corrupt law enforcement bodies in the country, which is no small feat. The Cyber Crime Wing was among the bodies that investigated Armaghan.
And while Armaghan is still in jail on the murder charge, it seems only a matter of time before that case also falls apart. After all, he also previously secured bail in a 2019 drug importation case, and his father was also granted bail in an illegal arms case linked to the murder investigation.
The message this sends is corrosive. It tells citizens that wealth and legal maneuvering can insulate the powerful from accountability. The courts must treat this case with the urgency it demands. The prosecution must expedite the trial. For the sake of victims and their families, we cannot allow years to pass without providing justice and closure, nor should an actual innocent suspect have to suffer for this long due to lack of means to hire a bigshot lawyer.