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Cases that may haunt BB even after NRO
Daily Times Monitor
LAHORE: The Supreme Court may rule the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) illegal, but even if it clears it, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, who has been in talks about a power-sharing deal with President Musharraf, could still face some cases outside Pakistan, the BBC News reported Monday.
Swiss money-laundering case: One of the most advanced is in Switzerland, where in 2003 Geneva magistrate Daniel Devaud convicted her of money-laundering. In his judgment, he found she and her close associates received around $15m in kickbacks from Pakistani government contracts with SGS and Cotecna, two Swiss companies. I certainly dont have any doubts about the judgments I handed down [which] came after an investigation lasting several years, involving thousands of documents, the BBC quoted Devaud as saying.
Ms Bhutto contested the decision, and the case is being reheard, the report said.
Many in Pakistan assume the Swiss case will now collapse because of the deal struck between Ms Bhutto and President Musharraf, according to the BBC. Yet under Swiss law, even if the government of Pakistan stops co-operating, that would not automatically end legal proceedings in Switzerland, the report said.
Surrey estate: A second case involving Ms Bhutto is under way in England, according to the BBC. In this case government of Pakistan alleged that Ms Bhutto and her husband bought Rockwood, a $3.4m country estate in Surrey, using money from kickbacks. Ms Bhutto and Mr Zardari denied owning the estate for eight years. But in 2004, Mr Zardari suddenly admitted that it was his, it said. Then, in 2006, an English judge, Lord Justice Collins, came to an interesting conclusion about the estate. Whilst stressing he was not making any findings of fact, Justice Collins said there was a reasonable prospect of the government of Pakistan establishing, in possible future court proceedings, that Ms Bhutto and/or her husband bought and refurbished Rockwood with the fruits of corruption.
Petroline FZC: According to the NAB, Ms Bhutto also owned the company, Petroline FZC, which traded $144m of Iraqi oil, and made $2m of illegal payments to Saddam Hussein s regime.
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
Daily Times Monitor
LAHORE: The Supreme Court may rule the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) illegal, but even if it clears it, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, who has been in talks about a power-sharing deal with President Musharraf, could still face some cases outside Pakistan, the BBC News reported Monday.
Swiss money-laundering case: One of the most advanced is in Switzerland, where in 2003 Geneva magistrate Daniel Devaud convicted her of money-laundering. In his judgment, he found she and her close associates received around $15m in kickbacks from Pakistani government contracts with SGS and Cotecna, two Swiss companies. I certainly dont have any doubts about the judgments I handed down [which] came after an investigation lasting several years, involving thousands of documents, the BBC quoted Devaud as saying.
Ms Bhutto contested the decision, and the case is being reheard, the report said.
Many in Pakistan assume the Swiss case will now collapse because of the deal struck between Ms Bhutto and President Musharraf, according to the BBC. Yet under Swiss law, even if the government of Pakistan stops co-operating, that would not automatically end legal proceedings in Switzerland, the report said.
Surrey estate: A second case involving Ms Bhutto is under way in England, according to the BBC. In this case government of Pakistan alleged that Ms Bhutto and her husband bought Rockwood, a $3.4m country estate in Surrey, using money from kickbacks. Ms Bhutto and Mr Zardari denied owning the estate for eight years. But in 2004, Mr Zardari suddenly admitted that it was his, it said. Then, in 2006, an English judge, Lord Justice Collins, came to an interesting conclusion about the estate. Whilst stressing he was not making any findings of fact, Justice Collins said there was a reasonable prospect of the government of Pakistan establishing, in possible future court proceedings, that Ms Bhutto and/or her husband bought and refurbished Rockwood with the fruits of corruption.
Petroline FZC: According to the NAB, Ms Bhutto also owned the company, Petroline FZC, which traded $144m of Iraqi oil, and made $2m of illegal payments to Saddam Hussein s regime.
Daily Times - Leading News Resource of Pakistan
