Pakistan: former president Zardari acquitted in corruption case
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Pakistan: former president Zardari acquitted in corruption case
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Pakistan: former president Zardari acquitted in corruption case

(AGI) - Karachi, 24 nov. - An anti-corruption court in Pakistanhas acquitted former president Asif Ali Zardari in theSGS-Cotecna - a Swiss inspection, verification, testing andcertification company ? corruption case. Zardari, who hasalready served some eight years in jail on corruption chargeswhile his wife, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, wasforced into exile in the 1990s, has been charged for allegedlyreceiving six per cent kickback award of pre-shipmentcontracts. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court said theaccountability body was unable to provide solid evidence andthat the documentation presented in court was incomplete
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(AGI) - Karachi, 24 nov. - An anti-corruption court in Pakistanhas acquitted former president Asif Ali Zardari in theSGS-Cotecna - a Swiss inspection, verification, testing andcertification company ? corruption case. Zardari, who hasalready served some eight years in jail on corruption chargeswhile his wife, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, wasforced into exile in the 1990s, has been charged for allegedlyreceiving six per cent kickback award of pre-shipmentcontracts. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court said theaccountability body was unable to provide solid evidence andthat the documentation presented in court was incomplete and inthe form of photocopies rather than original documents. Defending the former president, his counsel Farooq H. Naeksaid his client had been falsely implicated in the "politicallymotivated" cases. Zardari is the co-chairman of one of the leading partyPakistan People?s Party that is ruling the southern Sindhprovince. The SGS corruption case is the continuance of areference filed in 1997 that accused late Benazir Bhutto andher spouse to have gained off a contract between the SGS andthe then government. It is worth noticing that a NationalReconciliation Ordinance (NRO), was issued by the formerpresident Pervez Musharaf in 2007 that granted amnesty topoliticians and bureaucrats who were accused corruption,embezzlement, money laundering, murder, and terrorism. It is widely believed that the act was a measure to allowButto to return to Pakistan without any legal consequences dueto pending politically motivated corruption cases. NAB hadpreviously closed cases of some 248 politicians and bureaucratsdue to NRO. The pakistani government led by prime minister Nawaz Sharifhas tightened its grip over government institutions havingtrack record on embezzlement, particularly in the Sindhprovince led by Zardari?s PPP. If declared guilty, the formerpresident might be sentenced for several years in prison. (AGI).
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