'Money laundering case against Zardari cannot be re-opened due to immunity'

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2012-01-06

The money-laundering case pending against Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari in Switzerland cannot be re-opened even on Pakistan's insistence, sources have said.

The sources quoted Swiss Attorney General Daniel Zappelli, who had earlier said that Zardari cannot be brought to book due to lack of evidence and immunity enjoyed by him under international law, The Daily Times reports.

The money-laundering cases pending against Zardari and Benazir Bhutto had come to light during Nawaz Sharif's tenure as prime minister, sources in the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) said, on the condition of anonymity.

Both Benazir and Zardari were sentenced to six- month imprisonment in July 2003 but the former's conviction was later set aside by a Geneva tribunal on November 4, 2003.

The sources added that the Swiss judicial authorities had closed the case against Zardari on August 26, 2008 due to the indifference of the Pakistani authorities, who realized that the cases would be inconclusive due to lack of evidence.

Pakistan's then-attorney general, subsequently, dropped a 59.6 million dollar case against Zardari on April 1, 2008.

Zardari's lawyer, Saverio Lembo, had welcomed Zappelli's decision to shut the case.

Source: Southeast Asia News.Net

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