RAWALPINDI, July 30: An accountability court while giving verdict in ARY Gold reference on Saturday acquitted five accused and issued warrants of arrest for two besides declaring them proclaimed offender.

Accountability Court-II (AC-II) Judge Mian Altaf Hussain Mahar also linked the resumption of hearing into ARY Gold case with the arrest of the accused and end of the immunity to President Asif Ali Zardari, also an accused in ARY Gold Reference.

The court acquitted former commerce secretary Brigadier (retired) Aslam Hayat Qureshi, Principal Secretary to the President, Salaman Farooqi, ARY Gold owner Haji Abdul Razzaq, Haji Abdul Rauf and Jan Mohammad while issued permanent arrest warrants for former federal secretary finance Javed Talaat and Swiss company SGS Director Jens Schlegelmich.

In his order, the accountability judge said that the prosecution had failed to prove charge against the five person and therefore the court acquitted them.