Govt writes to the Swiss, finally

The federal government has dispatched the much sought-after letter to Swiss authorities seeking reopening of graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.
The much-awaited letter was written and sent to Swiss authorities on Tuesday following Supreme Court orders in the National Reconciliation Ordinance implementation case.
According to sources, a Foreign Ministry official confirmed that the Law Ministry had handed over the letter about three days ago.
The sources said Pakistan’s envoy would present the letter to Swiss officials, adding that its receipt would be submitted in the apex court later.
The apex court had given the government a month’s time to write the letter to the Swiss authorities to withdraw a previous letter to the Swiss government by former attorney general Malik Qayyum, seeking closure of alleged graft cases against President Zardari.
Allegations of corruption against President Zardari date back to the 1990s, when the president’s late wife, Benazir Bhutto, was the prime minister.
Formal investigations were previously carried out by Swiss authorities into allegations of money laundering using Zardari’s Swiss bank accounts.
The investigations ceased when the Pakistani government intervened in 2008.
The government had spent more than two years resisting court orders to write to authorities in Switzerland to ask them to reopen the multimillion dollar graft investigations, arguing that as the head of state, he enjoyed immunity from prosecution.
Finally, the tussle between the judiciary and the PPP-led government came to an end following the latter’s decision to implement the orders.
According to the state television, the letter was sent through the Foreign Office on November 5.
“The letter was written to Swiss authorities in the light of Supreme Court orders,” an official said, adding that text of the letter was same as agreed between federal law minister and the apex court.