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Posted by admin in BENAZIR CORRUPTION on December 30th, 2013
Swiss judge wraps up Bhutto money-laundering probe
Oct 18, 2007
GENEVA (Reuters) – A Swiss investigative judge said on October 17 that he had completed a long-running probe into alleged money laundering by Benazir Bhutto and her husband.
Judge Vincent Fournier, who spoke as Bhutto returned to her homeland after eight years in self-exile, said he would hand over his confidential findings next week to Geneva chief prosecutor Daniel Zappelli for action.
Zappelli has three options — to bring the case to trial, suspend it, or dismiss it.
Fournier conceded that money-laundering allegations would be harder to prove under Swiss law after President Pervez Musharraf granted an amnesty to protect Bhutto from corruption charges at home.
“It is not impossible, but much more difficult,” he said. “The fact that Pakistan has withdrawn its own prosecution does not help the Swiss demonstration of money-laundering.”
At least $13 million remains frozen in bank accounts in the Swiss city in connection with the criminal case, which relates to alleged kickbacks from Swiss cargo inspection companies in the 1990s, officials said. “I regard my investigation as completed and the case is ready for the prosecutor,” Fournier told Reuters.
To obtain a conviction under Swiss federal law, a prosecutor must prove that graft or other crimes have been committed abroad and the proceeds were laundered in Switzerland. A conviction for aggravated money-laundering can mean up to five years in prison.
Bhutto and Zardari were convicted in Geneva in 2003 of having laundered funds worth some $13 million through offshore companies and ordered to return the frozen funds to the Pakistani government, which currently remains a civil party in the case.
But this verdict was thrown out automatically upon appeal, sparking a new probe. Bhutto denied the money-laundering charges in testimony two years ago before Fournier.
Alec Reymond, Bhutto’s lawyer in Geneva, said he expected Zappelli to drop the case following Musharraf’s amnesty, which also applies to Zardari.
“The abandonment of the prosecution in Pakistan should lead to the affair being closed in Geneva,” Reymond told Reuters.
Bhutto’s return could eventually lead to power sharing with Musharraf, the army chief who took power in a 1999 coup. Pakistan’s Supreme Court has still to rule on the legality of the amnesty and of Musharraf’s recent re-election.
Benazir Story from BBC NEWS:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/pr/fr/-/2/hi/south_asia/7064052.stm
Published: 2007/10/29 00:05
© BBC MMVII
Posted by razahamad in ADHD NAWAZ SHARIF, BUNGLER NAWAZ SHARIF, Looters and Scam Artists, Nawaz "Badami Lassi Kim Barker Thurke" Sharif, Nawaz Dangerous, Nawaz Sharif & Kashmiri Biradari, Nawaz Sharif Dangerous Man, Nawaz Sharif Massive Corruption, NAWAZ SHARIF US & SAUDI AGENT, Nawaz Sharif US Agent, Nawaz Sharif Womanizer, Nawaz Sharif-The Prime Minister from Hell, Nawaz US Agent, Pakistan's Hall of Shame on June 5th, 2013
THE RAT SMELLS CHEESE: LIAR NAWAZ SHARIF POISED TO RAID THE TREASURY AGAIN & A PEEP INTO HIS LYING NATURE
FOOL ME ONCE, SHAME ON YOU. FOOL ME TWICE, SHAME ON ME. FOOL ME THREE TIMES…. CONGRATULATIONS, YOU HAVE ONCE AGAIN BEEN ELECTED AS PRIME MINISTER OF PAKISTAN. THE RE-ELECTION OF NAWAZ SHARIF TO ONE OF THE HIGHEST ECHELONS OF GOVERNMENT IS SOMEWHAT PERPLEXING TO SAY THE LEAST.
ALBERT EINSTEIN
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has passed on information to election authorities about three graft references against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz’s leadership, an official said. The references are pending in the Accountability Court, Rawalpindi.
The move drew an angry response from the party, whose spokesman counselled the corruption watchdog not to do “politics”. The party intends to give a detailed response at a press conference on Friday.
NAB’s reply to the Election Commission of Pakistan (ECP) is part of the scrutiny process of candidates and it has not spared PML-N chief Nawaz Sharif and ex-provincial chief minister Shahbaz Sharif.
The two brothers were found accused of loan default in the Hudaibiya Paper Mills scandal by the NAB during the scrutiny of their nomination papers, sources told The Express Tribune.
The record was sent to the returning officers (ROs) through the ECP. The NAB found that the Sharif brothers were accused in the case of loan default of Rs3,486 million rupees in the Hudaibiya Paper Mills case.
NAB records show that the Sharif brothers had filed a petition for quashing the First Information Report (FIR) against them in the Lahore High Court (LHC) and the case was still pending. “In that respect, they [Sharifs] were still accused in the default case,” said an official.
The case was filed in March 2000 with the Attock NAB Court where the Sharif brothers were accused of misusing their authority and accumulating wealth beyond their means. The other accused included their third brother Abbas Sharif, Nawaz Sharif’s son Hussain Nawaz and his daughter Maryam Nawaz, Hamza Shahbaz, and Senator Ishaq Dar.
“The competent authority to decide the candidature of the Sharif brothers were the respective returning officers and not the NAB,” said a NAB spokesperson while reacting to television reports that the NAB had objected to the candidacy of the two PML-N leaders.
The NAB spokesperson said that the bureau has neither raised objections on any candidate during the scrutiny of the nomination papers nor has it returned the name of any candidate with objection to election commission.
NAB has received more than 18,000 nomination forms and it has only provided the information that was to be provided to the special cell of the poll body.
But the PML-N directed its wrath at the anti-corruption authority. A party spokesman said NAB’s objections against Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif were based on mala fide intentions.
“NAB should not do politics but rather it should refrain from becoming a party in this regard”. The NAB’s report against the Sharif brothers is part of a well-calculated conspiracy.
He said the PML-N will disclose facts at a news press conference on Friday (today).
In a separate statement, PML-N’s spokesperson Senator Pervez Rasheed said there is no discrepancy in the assets declared on the nomination papers of the PML-N president.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 5th, 2013.
The juggernaut of corruption has already started , even before Nawaz Sharif has taken the Oath of the Prime Minister. He has started throwing trial balloons and feelers, to gauge the public response to his appointment of family members and cronies to plumb posts. already the name of Shahbaz Sharif and Salman Shahbaz has been floated to takeover finance. Kulsoom Nawaz’s name is bandied about as a Minister for Womens post. Ahsan Iqbal, who has no experience in Foreign Affairs, has his name thrown in the ring as Foreign Minister (May Allah Save Pakistan from this Gangster of Narowal (http://criticalppp.com/archives/26593). Nawaz Sharif has a typical Cheshire Cat grin, as he drools at the milk jug of Pakistan’s Treasury. This schemer is a master of crookedness and double dealings. He will start his robbery through gradiose projects like Super Highways, Jangla Buses, Laptop Schemes, Daanish Schools & other Kick Back Fronts. He is a mater of Ponzi Schemes, where instead of money, monumental projects are used to rob the people. In each of his projects, one of his relatives or front men will be involved in receiving the commission behalf of PMs Welfare Programs (for Welfare of Sharif Family). The Sharif Family started off as blacksmiths or “Lohars” on Defence related projects during the 1965 & 71 Wars. The paid huge commissions to Army Contractors and thus were able to make huge profits on Army contracts. Since the 60s, they have achieved so much ill-gotten wealth, that they have become billionaires (https://www.facebook.com/video/video.php?v=10150392958245506).
There are approximately 140 Pakistani students at the University of Nottingham. Impact caught up with some of them to find out what they think about the result.
Current electoral legislation in Pakistan prevents overseas students from voting. The frustration at not being able to vote was shared by many Pakistani students at Nottingham. It is assumed by some to be a deliberate attempt on the part of the Pakistani government to disenfranchise the youth vote.
One student, who wished to remain anonymous, told Impact: “I think it was unfair that the vote wasn’t extended to Pakistanis overseas- I think it would’ve made a huge difference to the turnout and the outcome.”
Another said that they believed the Pakistani government “deliberately dragged its heels in not allowing those overseas to vote. It knows where our political loyalties lie, and it’s not with them [the outgoing Pakistan People’s Party].
“Pakistan’s youth played a massive role in these elections- we’ve got the numbers and unlike the older generations we’re not going to vote on the basis of a person’s surname. Pakistani politics rivals Dave with its re-runs; it’s stuck on a constant loop of Bhuttos, Sharifs and the military. It’s one big, fat joke .”
63 year old Sharif, leader of Pakistan’s Muslim League (N) party, served as Pakistan’s prime minister from 1990 to 1993 and again from 1997 to 1999 before being removed in a coup d’état by military general Pervez Musharraf, and subsequently being tried, jailed and ultimately exiled to Saudi Arabia.
More than a decade later, it seems the Pakistani people have been quite forgiving or quite forgetful, and re-elected him once more.
In a country where GDP per capita averages at $2,960, Nawaz Sharif’s personal estimated net worth is $1.2 billion, with many alleging corruption and tax evasion as being a substantial source of this wealth.
Pakistan has been under military rule for more than half of the country’s 57-year history; observers are keen to emphasise that 11th May saw a significant milestone being reached- the first “democratic” transition of one elected civilian government to another. There may have been elections, but they were neither “free” nor “fair”.
Violence leading up to the elections, including car and suicide bombings, claimed more than 130 lives, with 29 killed on Election Day alone.
Despite the threat of violence, turnout reached a historic 60% of eligible voters exercising their right, compared to only 44% in 2008. A large part of the higher turnout was down to the country’s increasingly politicised youth; 63% of the population is under the age of 25.
President of UoN’s Pakistan Society, Rafia Khatri, commented: “Five years laden with political, economic and social chaos were an automatic and effective mechanism to mobilise Pakistanis, especially the youth, to cast their votes. The overwhelming participation of Pakistanis throughout these elections signified how determined Pakistanis are to rehabilitate their country.”
After having queued for hours on end, some of those in Pakistan who did venture to the polling stations were, however, met with intimidation and coercion, with some voters even being turned away point-blank without being able to cast their votes.
Despite YouTube being blocked in Pakistan, activists and concerned citizens have taken to the web to disseminate evidence of phoney votes being registered:
Ballot boxes full of votes being discarded on the streets:
and proof of women casting fake votes:
49 polling stations were alleged to have had over 100% voter turnout, with more votes apparently being cast than the number of registered voters.
One of the largest suspected casualties of the alleged vote rigging is the cricketer turned politician Imran Khan whose Pakistan Movement for Justice (Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, PTI) party was expected to make significant gains. Khan, an Oxford University PPE graduate, offered a fresh glimpse of hope for a populace tired of kleptocratic rulers who have kept the country’s economy almost stagnant.
In response to the alleged vote rigging and encouraged by Khan’s PTI party, protests have erupted across the nation, with tens of thousands of Pakistanis taking to the streets to demand re-elections in some areas. In response, the Election commission of Pakistan (ECP) has formed 14 election tribunals to investigate the complaints.
Meanwhile, section 144 of the code of criminal procedure has been imposed in Karachi, Pakistan’s largest city, in response to the protests. The controversial section bans gatherings of more than four people at a time for rallies and protests, or what it calls “unlawful assembly”. Large crowds demanding re-elections have also gathered in the Punjabi city of Lahore, and the country’s capital city, Islamabad, amongst others.
PTI’s party slogan “Naya Pakistan”, meaning “New Pakistan”, was what many, in particular the country’s youth, wanted to see.
For a nation that’s long been ruled by political dynasties who treat the country as one of their personal family heirlooms (Benazir Bhutto, deceased leader of the outgoing Pakistan People’s Party bequeathed the party’s chairmanship to her husband in her will), PTI in opposition is a step, albeit a baby step, in the right direction.
More pessimistically, however, with the same old face as Prime Minister, many political pundits are predicting a classic case of “plus ça change, plus c’est la même chose”.
Despite all maneuvering following references were filed against the Sharifs:-
1. Nawaz Sharif, Shahbaz Sharif and others misused official resources causing a loss to the national exchequer of Rs 620million by developing 1800 acres of land in Raiwind at state expense.
2. Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif are accused of whitening black money during their first tenure (1990-93) and causing a loss of Rs 180 million to the national exchequer by evading income/wealth tax.
3. Nawaz Sharif, Saif-ur-Rehman and others reduced import duty from 325% to 125% on import of luxury cars (BMW), causing a huge loss of Rs1.98 billion to the national exchequer.
4. On the imposition of emergency and freezing of foreign currency accounts, Nawaz Sharif and Saif-ur-Rehman removed 11 billion US dollars from Pakistani Banks illegally. Without the consent of account holders, Foreign Exchange Bearer Certificates (FEBC) accounts were frozen and foreign exchange was misappropriated.
5. Illegal appointments in Pakistan International Airlines (Nawaz Sharif and Saeed Mehdi).
6. Abbotabad land purchase scam (Nawaz Sharif and Sardar Mehtab Abbasi).
7. Availing bank loan for Ittefaq Foundries and Brothers Steel Mills without fulfilling legal requirements (Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif).
8. Concealment of property in the US (Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif).
9. Illegal appointments and promotions in Federal Investigation Agency (Nawaz Sharif).
10. US wheat purchase scam (Nawaz Sharif and Syeda Abida Hussain).
11. Murree land purchase scam (Nawaz Sharif and Saif-ur-Rehman)
12. Tax evasion (Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif).
13. Forging of passports and money laundering (Nawaz Sharif and Ishaq Dar).
14. Concealment of private helicopter purchase while filing assets’ detail (Nawaz Sharif).
15. Favoring Kohinoor Energy Co, causing loss of Rs. 450 millions (Nawaz Sharif and Others).
16. Illegal cash finance facility given to Brothers Sugar Mills (Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif).
17. Bribe offered to ANP’s Senator Qazi Mohammad Anwer (Nawaz Sharif and Others).
18. Hudaibiya Paper Mills Reference against Sharif brothers and Ishaq Dar.
19. Illegally appointing Chairman Central Board of Revenue (Nawaz Sharif)
20. Whitening of black money by amending laws (Nawaz Sharif and Shahbaz Sharif).
21. Causing Rs. 35 billion loss by writing off/rescheduling bank loans (Nawaz Sharif and Ishaq Dar).
22. Bribing (late) Maulana Sattar Niazi from National Exchequer (Nawaz Sharif and Others).
23. Plundering Rs. 200 million from Jahez and Baitul Maal funds (Nawaz Sharif & Others)
24. Opening fictitious foreign currency accounts (Nawaz Sharif and Ishaq Dar).
25. Making 130 political appointments in federal departments (Nawaz Sharif).
26. Relaxing export duty and rebate to transport sugar to India (Nawaz Sharif).
27. Whitening of money through FEBC (Nawaz Sharif).
28. Wealth Tax evasion (Nawaz Sharif).
29. Concealment of facts to evade property tax (Nawaz Sharif).
30. Withdrawal of case against Senator Islamuddin Sheikh (Nawaz Sharif, & Ishaq Dar).
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