Benazir murder case: Mark Siegel yet to be summoned as witness

RAWALPINDI:

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) special prosecutor clarified on Tuesday that the anti-terrorism court (ATC) didn’t issue any notice to US citizen Mark Siegel, saying he would definitely visit Pakistan for recording his statement in the former premier Benazir Bhutto murder case.

Chaudhry Muhammad Azhar, FIA prosecutor, categorically rejected news reports that Mark Seigel had refused to appear before the court to record his statement. He added that neither the ATC summoned him nor the FIA prosecution contacted him to ask for recording his statement.

Earlier, news appeared on websites of various newspapers and TV channels that Siegel had refused to visit Pakistan and appear before the court. The FIA prosecutor said statements of witnesses are being recorded but so far no notice has been served on the US national for recording his statement.

“He [Seigel] is an important witness in the BB murder case and he will be contacted and summoned for his statement,” Azhar said.

On the other hand, another judge in BB murder case was transferred. Pervez Ismail Joya is the fifth judge transferred in this case. He is appointed as a sessions judge in Chakwal.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 1^st, 2015.