Pak govt. to file appeal in Swiss court for reopening of Zardari corruption cases

The PML-N government has reportedly told the Supreme Court about its decision to file an appeal in the Swiss court for reopening of cases against President Asif Ali Zardari.

Recently the Swiss prosecutors had declared Zardari 'free of charges' and had refused to reopen a probe into the alleged corruption case involving Zardari and his late wife Benazir Bhutto in 1990.

AGP Munir A Malik told the bench of the apex court that Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has constituted a two-member committee comprising Cabinet Secretary Sami Saeed and IB DG Aftab Sultan to probe the matter about the "escape" of Law Ministry's record regarding Swiss cases, the Daily Times reports.

The Swiss prosecutors had said that just a month after filing renewed request for probe; Pakistan sent them another letter to pay no heed to it as it was linked to domestic politics, thereby abusing the legal system.

According to the report, the Supreme Court expressed annoyance with the former government for writing the letter and observed that it was a severe violation of its order.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry remarked that those responsible for this act should be held accountable adding that the Supreme Court was kept in dark about the development.

The report said that Former law secretary Yasmin Abbasi had on November 22 wrote the second letter to the counsel in the Swiss cases, Dr. Nicolas Jeandin in which he explained to the attorney general of Geneva about 'the position of the government of Pakistan' on Swiss cases.