Something is not right here. How can Zardari abondon the jewelry which Swiss courts claim belong to Benazir and worth $180,000/- ?! As we know Zardari even wouldnt give up his sweat worthy nothing, why this valuable jewelry then?
And if nobody claims I guess govt of Pak would take it then.
They had to bring PPP’s spokesman forward to make this denial strong:
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PPP leader and spokesman Farhatullah Babar. -APP/File
ISLAMABAD: The Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Monday said that a Swiss tribunal held jewellery set, seized in connection with investigations into the SGS case, does not belong to the legal heirs of the late Benazir Bhutto or former president Asif Ali Zardari.
“The piece of jewellery never belonged to Shaheed Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto. Therefore there is no question that it belongs to her legal heirs or to Mr Asif Zardari. Let there be no doubt or mistake about it,” said PPP spokesman Senator Farhatullah Babar in a statement.
Babar said any assertion that the jewellery belonged to the legal heirs of Benazir Bhutto is wrong and incorrect.
He said that although he had not seen the latest ruling of the Swiss tribunal, but on the basis of his association with the case from its inception, he could make this assertion confidently.
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Read also: Timing of govt victory in Swiss court puts PM in tight spot
A Swiss federal tribunal had ruled that a valuable jewellery set that was seized by authorities in connection with investigations into allegations of graft belonged to former president Asif Ali Zardari or the legal heirs of the late Benazir Bhutto.
The set, which includes a necklace, a bracelet, a pair of earrings and a ring, is said to be valued at over $180,000. In the judgment issued on Oct 29, a copy of which is available with Dawn, the tribunal rejected ownership claims filed by Bomer Finance for the jewellery. Read also: SGS case: Swiss national declared proclaimed offender
The company was allegedly formed by Mr Jens Schlegelmilch and linked to Asif Zardari and was at the centre of the SGS-Cotecna investigation.
****ISLAMBAD: **Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) on Monday refuted the verdict of ****a Swiss tribunalthat ruled that a valuable jewellery, ****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.
Re: Zardari/Bhutto deny the ownership of Swiss Jewelry
More important question is, why are Swiss Judges so benevolent to Bhutto and Co, that they would like to give them something that doesn't belong to them?
Re: Zardari/Bhutto deny the ownership of Swiss Jewelry
I think explaination of following will have the answer of your question: When, where and with what else was it seized?
**
“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.” **
Chalo yar ab Zardari nai leraha to mujhe hi deden. I need to pay off my mortgage
Re: Zardari/Bhutto deny the ownership of Swiss Jewelry
mafaahimat kii siyaasat? :)
Zardari had instructed his lawyer in Switzeland to claim the jewelry and when the government learned about it it asked it's lawyers to fight the ownership out in the courts...
...now, the denial comes...it proves the 'mafaahimat kii siyaasat'!
now, Zardari is NOT gonna claim so NS doesn't have to fight in the courts that will give a boost to his statements against IK's claim that NS and Zardari are doing 'mukmuka' to support each other. Zardari waiting for his term in 2018.
As per above link, following extract is important:
**In the judgment issued on Oct 29, a copy of which is available with Dawn, the tribunal rejected ownership claims filed by Bomer Finance for the jewellery. The company was allegedly formed by Mr Jens Schlegelmilch and linked to Mr Zardari and was at the centre of the SGS-Cotecna investigation.
**According to Francois Roger Micheli, a counsel from the firm Python and Peter, which represented the government of Pakistan before the Swiss tribunal, the judgment handed down states that Mr Schlegelmilch “appeared to have acted as the attorney for the BB-AAZ (Benazir Bhutto-Asif Ali Zardari) couple”.
**This vindicates the government’s stance and is also in line with an earlier decision by the Geneva court of appeal. Sources said that lawyers from Python and Peter have informed the government of Pakistan that this judgment meant that Bomer Finance had not been able to establish that it was the legal owner of the jewellery set. In addition, they say that Mr Schlegelmilch could not prove that he acted as a board member of the Bomer while acquiring the jewellery set.
****The official Dawn spoke to, however, maintained that, “Legally, it is a strong case for the government to ensure recovery.”**The case was originally filed by the attorney general for Pakistan in October of 1997 against Benazir Bhutto, her mother Nusrat Bhutto and husband Asif Ali Zardari.
**The jewels were among items reportedly seized the same year, but the original cases were closed in 2008 following the promulgation of the National Reconciliation Ordinance. However, the cases were reopened on the orders of the Supreme Court of Pakistan. Mr Zardari has, in the past, publicly disowned these ornaments and denied allegations of corruption in the SGS-Cotecna scandal.
**
