SC permits Czech model to travel abroad

Tereza Hluskova was acquitted by IHC after being sentenced for attempting to smuggle heroin

ISLAMABAD:

The Supreme Court (SC) on Thursday dismissed Pakistan Customs’ appeal in the drugs smuggling case against Czech Republic’s model Tereza Hluskova and allowed her to travel abroad.

A three-member bench of the apex court comprising Justice Ijazul Ahsan, Justice Munib Akhtar and Justice Sayyed Mazahar Ali Akbar Naqvi heard the appeal against the model’s acquittal.

During the course of proceedings, Justice Ijaz asked whether the heroin samples were sent to the lab in accordance with the law.

Advocate Waqar A Sheikh, the counsel for Pakistan Customs, said that the trial court had ruled that the delivery of samples was correct.

He said that the accused had purchased the ticket and would leave for abroad on April 23.

He pleaded the court to put the Czech model's name on the no flying list.

Justice Ijaz said that the court would only include the model's name on the no-fly list after it deemed it appropriate.

He said that the Islamabad High Court's (IHC) decision regarding the acquittal of the accused was correct.

Hluskova was sentenced to eight years and eight months in jail by a sessions court in April 2019.

She was arrested at Lahore airport for attempting to smuggle heroin from Pakistan to Abu Dhabi on January 10, 2018.

The court had acquitted her last year in November and she was released from prison the same month.