PPP denies Swiss jewellery belonged to Benazir or Zardari

The Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) on Monday refuted the verdict of a Swiss tribunal that ruled that a valuable jewellery set, seized in connection with investigations into the SGS case, belonged to the legal heirs of former prime minister Benazir Bhutto.

“The piece of jewellery never belonged to Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. There is therefore no question that it does not belong to her legal heirs or to Asif Zardari. Let there be no doubt or mistake about it,” the PPP spokesperson Farhatullah Babar stated.

The set, which includes a necklace, a bracelet, a pair of earrings and a ring and is said to be valued over $180,000 was seized by authorities in connection with investigations into graft allegations.

“Any assertion that the jewellery belonged to the legal heirs of Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto is based on totally wrong and incorrect assumption that it actually belonged to her,” the senator added.

The PPP spokesperson who served during the tenure of Benazir Bhutto and former president Asif Ali Zardari claimed that though he had not yet seen the so called latest ruing of the Swiss tribunal but on the basis on his association with the case from its inception to the end he could assert this confidently.

Babar recalled that on September 19, 2005 Benazir Bhutto had personally appeared before the Swiss Investigation Magistrate in Geneva and categorically denied purchasing the jewellery or ownership of Swiss companies involved in money laundering.

“After appearing before the Swiss magistrate and recording her statement Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto also addressed a press conference in Geneva denying ownership of the jewellery or Swiss companies involved in money laundering,” he said.

Babar further said in one of the hearings the owner of the jewellery shop denied having any knowledge of who Benazir Bhutto was and so stated that she did not purchase the jewellery from him.

“All this is on record and can be verified from the records of the proceedings before the Swiss magistrate and the newspapers’ archives at that time.”

The PPP stalwart also upheld that the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) at that time claimed that a jewellery set had been seized from Mohtarma’s safe in Geneva but later it was proven before the Magistrate that the former prime minister did not have a safe in Geneva.

“It had also been claimed at the time that Jens Schlaglemilch was the agent of Mohtarma which too was proven false as per the testimony of Schlaglemilch himself,” he added.

Babar further recalled that it was the same case which the Supreme Court of Pakistan had set aside the conviction awarded by the Trial Court in Pakistan and also passed stinging strictures against the trial judge.

“The bias [of the judge] floated on the surface of record, the SC had remarked forcing most unceremonious exit of two judges from the bench,” he said.

In the judgment issued on Oct 29, the tribunal rejected ownership claims filed by Bomer Finance for the jewellery. The company was allegedly formed by Jens Schlegelmilch and linked to Asif Zardari and was at the centre of the SGS-Cotecna investigation.

VERDICT RECEIVED:

Meanwhile, the attorney general of Pakistan (AGP) said that the Swiss tribunal’s verdict had been referred to the Law Ministry for translation.

“The Swiss tribunal’s verdict was received by the AGP office last week and has been sent to the Law Ministry for translation,” AGP Salman Aslam Butt said, adding that he would be able to give his opinion to the government on the future course of action after the document was translated.