Case in Swiss Court still haunts Zardari: report

Asif Ali Zardari remains under criminal investigation in Switzerland over allegations that he received kickbacks from two Swiss-based companies while his wife, the late Benazir Bhutto, served as the country’s prime minister in the 1990s, reported a US magazine, Newsweek on Thursday.

Following are some excerpts from the Newsweek Web Exclusive report authored by Mark Hosenball and Michael Isikoff:

“But Zardari, who has always claimed that corruption allegations against him were politically motivated, may be using his growing political clout in Islamabad to pressure Swiss authorities to curtail, or even close, their long-running investigation into his affairs, say Swiss legal sources, who requested anonymity discussing sensitive matters.”

“A spokeswoman of PPP Co-chairman told the magazine that the probe is already closed.”

“Mr. Zardari feels that you have been misinformed and that the case that you are referring to is closed,” wrote Farah Ispahani, in response to an e-mail from Newsweek. “Please be careful about reporting something that may have been planted.”

“The Swiss investigations were opened years ago, during Nawaz Sharif’s tenure as prime minister. His government requested official legal assistance from Switzerland, where Pakistani authorities suspected that the couple had stashed proceeds from alleged corrupt activities. The Pakistani government hired its own lawyers in Switzerland to gather evidence against Bhutto and Zardari and help Swiss investigators with their inquiries.”

“Judge Devaud confirmed to Newsweek that the prosecutor’s office was still investigating “aggravated” money-laundering offenses. Likewise, Jacques Python, a Geneva lawyer hired by Pakistan to work with Swiss authorities on the corruption case, said he had every reason to believe that the Geneva prosecutor’s investigation was still open. And Alec Reymond, a lawyer who had represented Bhutto in connection with the Swiss investigation, also says the case is still open.”

“However, two other Swiss legal sources close to the case, who asked for anonymity when discussing sensitive information, said they believe the Geneva prosecutor could continue to pursue the case, given that the investigation did turn up evidence, which was not exclusively supplied by Pakistan, of violation of Swiss money-laundering laws.”

“Ultimately, said one of the sources, Swiss prosecutors have three possible courses of action: close the case entirely, prosecute it by bringing it into a superior court or arrange the Swiss version of a plea bargain, in which money seized by Swiss authorities during the investigation probably would be confiscated or handed over to charity, but charges would be settled without any prison sentences.”