LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) on Monday acquitted a Czech model sentenced to over eight years in prison for drug trafficking in Pakistan in 2019, the Czech foreign ministry said, citing her lawyer.
During today’s hearing, Tereza Hluskova’s lawyer Saiful Malook maintained that it could not be proven that the supposed narcotics were safely transported to the laboratory for testing.
He said that the investigation did not provide details about who transported the samples to the lab, therefore there remained the possibility that they were swapped. The court acquitted Hluskova after listening to the arguments.
Meanwhile, Czech foreign ministry in a tweet said, “Based on information from Hluskova’s lawyer, we can confirm a court of appeals has decided to acquit the Czech national in Pakistan.”
“A release from prison should follow within days after the verdict has been processed,” the foreign ministry added. The sessions court had also acquitted a co-suspect, Shoaib, for lack evidence. Three other co-suspects in the case were also declared proclaimed offenders during the trial.
Tereza Hluskova was arrested at Lahore airport for trafficking nine kilograms of heroin in January 2018. Footage released by Pakistani customs officials showed authorities uncovering drugs hidden in her suitcase as she was trying to board a flight headed for the UAE.
In March 2019, a sessions court had sentenced Tereza Hluskova to eight years and eight months in jail. In April the same year, she had challenged her conviction in the case. She has insisted someone had placed the drugs in her suitcase.
The appeal against the sentence filed through a counsel stated that the trial court handed down the conviction beyond the merits of the case and without any concrete evidence against the appellant.
It plead that the trial court solely relied upon the concocted story of the prosecution and ignored the facts of the case. The appellant asked the high court to set aside the conviction and acquit her of the charges.
