Anti-corruption court summons ex-President Zardrai in graft ases

An anti-corruption court in Pakistan on Monday summoned former President, Asif Ali Zardari, to appear in corruption cases opened this month just weeks after he stepped down on completion of his term. 

The cases had been stopped as Zardari enjoyed presidential immunity and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court’s judged reopened five cases earlier this month.  

Zardrai completed his five-year constitutional term on September 6 and became Pakistan’s first president to smoothly transfer power to another elected president.  

The former President is the co-chairman of the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) and now he eyes a biggest role in practical politics. Some reports suggested that he had convened a meeting of senior party leaders later this week to discuss organizational matters.  

The anti-corruption court had on Friday ordered reopening of corruption cases against Zardari and had also issued notices to the Prosecutor General of NAB and the former President to appear on October 14 in five references against him.  

The former President could not appear before the court in the garrison city of Rawalpindi near the capital Islamabad on Monday despite court's notice.

The Addition Prosecutor informed the judge that Mr Zardrai is abroad and the court notice could not be served on him.

The court again issued notice to the former President to appear on the next hearing on October 29.

The government of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif had not approached the court for reopening of the cases against Zardrai to avoid any political polarization. However the NAB judge Bashir Ahmed took suo motu notice and reopened five old cases.

The cases are related to favouratism, misuse of power by Mr. Zardrai during his party's previous government of his slain spouse Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto and allegedly receiving kickbacks in awards of contracts.

Zardrai’s PPP has criticized revival of the cases but said the former president will defend himself in courts. The party’s lawyer, Farooq Naek, says that none of the corruption charge has been proved against Mr Zardari and these cases had been registered for political motives.

Former President Pervez Musharraf had withdrawn all cases against Zardari under a controversial amnesty deal in 2007.

The Supreme Court had later cancelled the National Reconciliation Ordinance and reopened all corruption cases against Zardari and nearly 8000 other people including political leaders and former government officials. 

Earlier on October 8, Swiss authorities, who were contacted by the government to reopen the pending graft cases against Zardari, rejected the plea on the ground that the time limits have passed.

The then Pakistan People's Party-led government had initially refused to send a letter to Swiss authorities for reopening the cases. It had argued that since Zardari was the President, he enjoyed immunity.