Bhutto and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari - nicknamed Mr 10% over alleged extortion

[HAIDER]

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David Pallister
Monday November 12, 2007
The Guardian

Hopes for a third term for Benazir Bhutto, twice kicked out of government for corruption and incompetence, have been thrown into turmoil by the emergency rule. But her ambitions ultimately still depend on whether the amnesty on her corruption charges, granted to her last month by the national reconciliation ordinance, will be upheld in the new supreme court.

Bhutto and her husband, Asif Ali Zardari - nicknamed Mr 10% over alleged extortion - faced eight counts of taking tens of millions of dollars in illegal kickbacks. But whatever decision the court arrives at, the couple also have to contend with money laundering proceedings in Switzerland and Spain, and a civil case in London involving an expensive Surrey mansion.

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As the president's ordinance only deals with offences up to 1999, investigations in Pakistan could continue into allegations that the pair paid about $2m in illegal kickbacks to Saddam Hussein under the oil-for-food programme.

The controversy surrounding Bhutto's financial affairs has been compounded by reports showing she and her family have worldwide assets worth about 90bn Pakistan rupees ($1.5bn). Despite voluminous evidence, some from the British government, the Bhuttos deny all the charges.

The charges

Among the charges in Pakistan are allegations that the Bhuttos skimmed $2m in commissions from a 1990s deal to buy thousands of duty-free Ursus tractors from Poland. The money went into a Swiss bank account. Christine Junod, a Geneva magistrate, says documentary evidence "establishes beyond doubt that these commissions, under the cover of alleged consultancy fees, were meant to remunerate the illicit advantages obtained by Ursus from the Pakistani administration, thanks to the interventions of Asif Zardari".

A second case involves a Dubai-based Pakistani gold bullion dealer who allegedly paid $10m to a Bhutto company in the British Virgin Islands for the exclusive right to import gold, again losing the country millions of dollar in duties. Zardari, who has served six years on corruption charges, is also accused of evading duties on the import of a £55,000 armoured BMW.

A fourth case, involving Swiss banks, is moving towards a trial in Geneva. In this the couple are accused of taking kickbacks for the award of contracts to two Swiss firms employed to stop customs fraud. In 2003 a Swiss magistrate found the couple guilty, sentenced them to six months in prison and ordered them to pay $12m back to the Pakistan government.

The paper trail connecting Benazir Bhutto to the case started with a moment of extravagance. Five years before, she had bought a £117,000 diamond necklace in London; part of that was paid for by one of the Swiss firms identified in the investigation. Lawyers for the Bhuttos challenged the judgment, a move that required the case be reopened. Last month the Swiss authorities said they would go ahead.

Oil-for-food scandal

The authoritative Volker report into the oil-for-food scandal identified the company Petroline FZC as having received oil contracts worth £145m in return for paying illicit surcharges to Iraq of $2m. Pakistan's national accountability bureau has produced documents which show that Bhutto was the company chairwoman. Some of the profits went to firms in Spain, where another criminal investigation into money laundering is still active.

Rockwood House

The Surrey mansion, Rockwood House, was bought in 1995, apparently owned through a chain of firms and trusts, involving addresses in the Isle of Man, Jersey and Liechtenstein. Zardari denied, for eight years, that he was the owner despite instructing a builder with plans for a helipad, nine-hole golf course and polo pony paddock. Crates of valuable artefacts were shipped from Karachi. In 2004, when creditors forced the property into a liquidation sale, the Pakistani government claimed the proceeds. Lawyers for Zardari then appeared, claiming he was the beneficial owner.

The money from the sale is still in the liquidators' bank account, though a high court judge said the Pakistani government had a reasonable case, stating the money came via corruption. The case continues through the courts with Zardari repeatedly claiming to be too ill to mount a rebuttal.

Trail of corruption and kickback charges still in wings for opposition leader | The Guardian | Guardian Unlimited

[roadrunner]

She's running out of places to live after the UK court on Rockwood finds her guilty Brazil is my bet as her next destination

Honestly, how can anyone back her after what she's done in the country. Spread the wealth (or the poverty) of Pakistan around the world. I would say the pair (BB and NS) had set Pakistan back a decade economically.

[Mansoor A Qureshi]

Now thats what i am talking about

Spread the right word bro.................. BRAVO, Thanks haider for the post.
Almost all of the politicians in the country are corrupt, i would like to see views of Interceptor on this thread It will be interesting.

Regards,

Mansoor

[hoodhood1]

Shariff Brother's are more corrupt than BB & AZ. Rumors are that they swindled $4 Bn +. Biggest liars, who even faked his son sickness to get out of KOSA and later got him married. List goes on and on of there lies. And, still people want BB & NS. This all due to lac of Education in Pakistan.

[HAIDER]

Strange, people know everthing, still supporting and want to die for.....

[kidwaibhai]

i dont understand how can this lady even show her face in this country and these stupid people in the pakistani population are supporting and even deing for her.

[Mansoor A Qureshi]

i dont understand how can this lady even show her face in this country and these stupid people in the pakistani population are supporting and even deing for her.

A Normal Pakistani guy is a very innocent guy, but the question you asked can be answered like this, Once i was coming to my office i saw many people standing right down the tree looking and pointing upwards to the tree, the crowd was around more then 25 poeple, i started to stare at the same direction, then i saw 2 kids trying to catch a bird, nothing ELSE and a whole bunch of people were standing just to see whats going on, the answer to your question is THEY DONT HAVE ANYTHING TO DO
Thats what i think, Innocent and carefree, co-operative, friendly with a very weak memory, they cant remember these *** holes, they looted and looted and still trying to loot the last penny and drink the last blood drop of the Pakistanis, but we are the same, Wellcoming BB and BABA and nowUNCLE as well, the only petriot in 17 Carore Pakistanis

Regards,

Mansoor

[WebMaster]

If there is anyone who wants to prove she is not corrupt needs a mentality check!

[Mansoor A Qureshi]

If there is anyone who wants to prove she is not corrupt needs a mentality check!

and a CAVITY check OFFCOURSE, i am getting out of the question because i thnk she is corrupt.

Regards.

[JK!]

So why despite all this is she not being called to court?

If she is so corrupt and if there is so much evidence then why not let her stand trial be probably found guilty jailed and the key thrown away.

Instead she is free to run riot as a fly in the ointment stirring the political situation even more.

[Spring Onion]

So why despite all this is she not being called to court?

If she is so corrupt and if there is so much evidence then why not let her stand trial be probably found guilty jailed and the key thrown away.

Instead she is free to run riot as a fly in the ointment stirring the political situation even more.

Beacuse She is being protected by US and all other political parties are also exploiting the current situation to take a political benefit out of it.

[Skywalker]

Shariff Brother's are more corrupt than BB & AZ. Rumors are that they swindled $4 Bn +. Biggest liars, who even faked his son sickness to get out of KOSA and later got him married. List goes on and on of there lies. And, still people want BB & NS. This all due to lac of Education in Pakistan.

Cent percent agreed, how can you a expect a nation where 60% of the people are illeterate can bring a change...noway.

[Neo]

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Pakistan to go after Zardari in Swiss case: lawyer

GENEVA: Pakistan will pursue Benazir Bhutto’s widower Asif Ali Zardari for $54 million, which it says the couple hid illegally in Switzerland, its lawyer said on Tuesday.

A hearing is expected in Geneva in late January in the long-running money-laundering case, begun in 1997 against Benazir and Zardari, according to Jacques Python, Pakistan’s lawyer.

“We remain a civil party in the (criminal) procedure against Mr Zardari,” Python told Reuters. “She [Benazir] appears little in the bank documents. On the other hand, Zardari’s name appears as the beneficial owner of most of the frozen accounts,” Python said.

The couple always denied the charges but were convicted in 2003 of laundering funds worth $13 million and ordered to return it to Pakistan.

But the verdict was thrown out on appeal, sparking a fresh probe. The forthcoming hearing in Geneva will decide whether the case is further probed or goes to chief prosecutor Daniel Zappelli who can drop it or order a trial. Saverio Lembo, Zardari’s lawyer in Geneva, reaffirmed that his client denied the money-laundering charges. “We requested that the case be sent back to the judge for more investigation, including calling other witnesses,” Lembo told Reuters. “My client has never been heard in this case.” reuters

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