LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) has constituted a new bench to hear renowned YouTuber Ducky Bhai’s bail petition.
As per details, LHC judge Justice Farooq Haider recused himself from hearing YouTuber Saadur Rehman, aka Ducky Bhai case due to inability to proceed with matter.
After his recusal, Justice Shehram Sarwar Chaudhry will now hear the bail petition of Ducky Bhai on November 17.
The National Crime and Cyber Investigation Agency (NCCIA) Lahore has been made a party to the petition, and the court has issued notices requesting a detailed reply on the allegations against Ducky Bhai.
Bail plea rejected
Earlier, the Sessions Court in Lahore announced its reserved verdict on Ducky Bhai’s bail petition, dismissing the plea in the case linked to the illegal gambling apps promotion case.
The decision had been preserved by the session court judge, Sajida Chaudhry, after hearing both parties.
The prosecution argued that strong evidence links the YouTuber to the promotion of illegal gambling and forex trading applications. Including “Binomo,” “Bet 365,” and “39 Game.”
Prosecutors told the court that the case was initiated on the basis of a credible source report. Which identified his alleged involvement.
It was further revealed in court that the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) has never registered or authorised such apps.
However, Ducky Bhai allegedly used his YouTube platform to encourage the public to invest in them.
What is Ducky Bhai’s case
Ducky Bhai was arrested by the National Cyber Crime Investigation Agency (NCCIA) from Lahore Airport in August.
A case has been registered against him under the Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 and Section 420 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC).
Ducky Bhai is facing serious charges such as money laundering, promoting illegal gambling apps and distributing obscene material. Authorities say Ducky Bhai used his large social media following to promote illegal apps and allegedly earned Rs 210 million through two bank accounts.
Several posts on social media have claimed that the court has sentenced Ducky Bhai to seven years in prison and a fine of Rs 10 million.
Ducky Bhai, his wife Aroob Jatoi and manager Subhan have been named in the challan, but no court decision has been announced yet.
Legal experts say that the case is under trial and the reports of Ducky Bhai being sentenced are baseless.
