Corruption references: No evidence found against Zardari

The references are false and concocted, testify witnesses in accountability courts.

RAWALPINDI:

The hearing in four corruption references – ARY Gold, SGS, Cotecna and Ursus tractors – by the accountability courts has entered in the final stages.

These references against President Asif Zardari, ex-premier Benazir Bhutto, her mother Nusrat Bhutto, A R Siddiqui and Yusuf Talpur had been revived after the annulment of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) by the Supreme Court.

A total of 60 witnesses have so far appeared before the accountability courts in the four references. In their recorded statements and during cross-examination by defence attorneys, they called the references false, concocted, and baseless, which were instituted for political vendetta.

Investigation officers, in light of inquiry reports, held that no evidence of corruption or graft was found in the references, nor any witness gave statement to that effect.

While awarding contracts, Asif Zardari, Benazir Bhutto, Nusrat Bhutto, Yusuf Talpur, Salman Farooqui, Brigadier Aslam Hayat Qureshi and Javed Talat neither exerted pressure on anyone, nor took bribe or commission.

During the investigation, Benazir Bhutto, Asif Zardari, and A R Siddiqui were found entirely innocent.

The then accountability bureau chief Saifur Rehman had fraudulently got signatures on the challans of these cases.

Two references – Ursus tractors and Cotecna – consist of facsimile material which, in the eyes of law, is not fit for prosecution. Not one document in the two references is original.

At yesterday’s hearing, accountability court No 4 judge Chaudhry Abdul Haq expressed annoyance over the fact that despite being summoned four times in the Ursus tractors case the last witness, investigating officer Iqbal Qasimi, did not appear.

He issued orders for him to appear on June 3 or action will be taken against him.

In this case, former chairman of Agriculture Research Council Dr Zafar Altaf testified that Ursus tractors were provided to farmers at their doorsteps for Rs0.15 million while the market price was Rs0.3 million. He wondered how this proved corruption.

He said the agricultural productivity rose two-fold that year as the tractors were used in tilling the lands.

He held that had this green tractor scheme continued, an agriculture revolution would have happened today and Pakistan would be exporting farm products, including wheat.

Customs officers told accountability court No 2 in the ARY Gold reference that it was in 1995 that a gold and silver import policy was framed for the first time. Before that, the two precious metals reached the country through smuggling.

They testified that this policy yielded Rs8.6 million to the state coffers in one year. The contract was awarded on merit.

In Cotecna reference hearing, chief custom officer Khalil Ahmed told the court that he had held negotiations for this pre-shipment inspection contract with the company. He said Benazir Bhutto, Asif Zardari and A R Siddiqui were not involved.

He said the team of custom and CBR officers headed by him had recommended giving the contract to this firm on merit.

This contract yielded $27 million income to the government in one and a half year. He said the magistrate in Geneva (Switzerland), who was holding inquiry into the case, had summoned him as a witness. He said he gave the same statement in Geneva, following which the Swiss magistrate disposed of the case.

At accountability court No 3, former principal secretary Ahmed Sadiq, Khalil Ahmed and investigation officer said the Cotecna reference was based on photocopied material. The company had been awarded the pre-shipment contract on merit, and that Asif Zardari had nothing to do with this deal. He neither attended any meeting in this behalf, nor he or Benazir or any other officer received commission or graft.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21^st, 2011.