ATC rejects Musharraf’s plea against Siegel

RAWALPINDI:

An anti-terrorism court (ATC) rejected on Monday the application of the former president Gen (retired) Pervez Musharraf against statement of US lobbyist Mark Siegel in Benazir Bhutto’s murder case.

ATC Judge Muhammad Ayub Marth turned down Musharraf’s application filed by his lawyer Barrister Farooqh Naseem. Siegel was a key prosecution witness against Musharraf in the case.



Talking to The Express Tribune, Chaudhry Azhar, special public prosecutor of Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) said that it was second application filed by Musharraf against testimony of Siegel. He added that the court had earlier rejected a similar application in June 2015.

The FIA prosecutor said that an amendment in the law made in 2014 empowered the trial court to record testimonies of witnesses in criminal cases through video teleconferencing (VTC). He said that the ATC earlier rejected an identical petition filed by Musharraf against the procedure to record statement of Siegel.

Azhar further noted that he had contended in the court that the petition against Siegel’s testimony was not maintainable under the law. He said that under the new amendment, Siegel’s testimony against Musharraf was admissible.

In his petition, Musharraf had raised objections on the admissibility of Siegel’s testimony that was recorded on October 1, through VTC.

The former military ruler had stated that the procedure to record the testimony lacked transparency. He had also raised objection on presence of Farooq H Naek when Siegel’s testimony was recorded. Naek was present as Siegel’s lawyer.



In his testimony, Siegel had said that Benazir Bhutto told him about threatening call she had received from Musharraf when she was planning to return to Pakistan in 2007.

The US lobbyist had also claimed that Musharraf did not provide security that Bhutto deserved as a former prime minister of the country.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 24^th,  2015.