Pakistani PM faces SC, seeks time to write Swiss letter (Lead)
August 27th, 2012 - 12:32 pm ICT by IANS
Islamabad, Aug 27 (IANS) Facing a show-cause notice for failing to implement a Supreme Court order, Pakistan Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf Monday sought more time to write to Swiss authorities to reopen corruption cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.
Ashraf requested the court to give him four to six weeks to write the letter to Swiss authorities, reported Dawn.
“I need time to understand the matter…as it involves certain legal and constitutional points,” Ashraf told the court. He also pleaded that the show-cause notice be withdrawn.
“I need enough time from the court to seek the assistance of constitutional and legal experts,” he said.
Jostled by crowds, Ashraf waved before stepping inside the court building.
A five-judge special bench comprising Justices Asif Saeed Khan Khosa, Ejaz Afzal Khan, Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry, Gulzar Ahmed and Muhammad Ather Saeed is hearing the case.
The apex court had issued the notice Aug 8.
The order said it was unfortunate that the prime minister had failed to implement the court’s directives.
The court had July 25 given Ashraf time till Aug 8 to write to Swiss authorities to reopen corruption cases against Zardari.
Ashraf’s predecessor, Yousuf Raza Gilani, was disqualified by the court for contempt after he refused to accept the court’s orders.
Accused of graft, Zardari was granted amnesty under the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) in 2007 by then president Pervez Musharraf to facilitate his return home from exile, and primarily that of his wife, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.
Zardari and Bhutto were suspected of using Swiss accounts to launder about $12 million in alleged bribes paid by companies seeking customs inspection contracts in the 1990s.
The NRO that granted immunity to politicians and bureaucrats in corruption cases was struck down by the Supreme Court as void in 2009.
The apex court in January ordered Gilani to write a letter to the Swiss authorities to reopen cases against Zardari.
Gilani was convicted April 26 of contempt of court, and was disqualified as prime minister as well as parliament member June 19.
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Tags: apex, apex court, ashraf, asif ali zardari, ather, benazir bhutto, bribes, bureaucrats, contempt, corruption cases, former prime minister, gilani, hellip, legal experts, national reconciliation, nro, pervez musharraf, raja, swiss accounts, swiss authorities