Pakistan asks Swiss to reopen money-laundering case against Zardari

The Pakistani government asked Swiss authorities Wednesday to revive money-laundering charges against President Asif Ali Zardari, the latest in a series of setbacks that have weakened his standing in the nuclear-armed state.

The government’s move came a day after Supreme Court Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammed Chaudhry threatened to jail the country’s top anti-corruption agency official if he did not reopen corruption cases against Zardari and a slew of other bureaucrats and businesspeople within 24 hours.

A lawyer for the agency, the National Accountability Bureau, told Chaudhry in court Wednesday that the government has sent a letter to Switzerland seeking renewal of corruption charges against Zardari. The Associated Press quoted a Swiss Justice Ministry official as saying his office has yet to receive the request.

Zardari, husband of slain former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, has seen his stature within Pakistan erode considerably over the past year, as pressure has mounted against him from an alliance that includes the country’s military, opposition parties and vocal media critics.

He has already agreed to relinquish most of his presidential powers, including the authority to dissolve parliament and appoint armed services chiefs. Under a proposed constitutional amendment expected to be presented to parliament soon, most presidential powers would be transferred to the prime minister.

His biggest battle, however, has been with the country’s judiciary. In December, the nation’s high court struck down an amnesty that had shielded Zardari and a host of other government officials and businessmen.

Enacted in 2007 by military ruler Gen. Pervez Musharraf, the amnesty law was aimed at allowing Zardari and Bhutto to return to Pakistan from exile, without facing the prospect of any politically motivated prosecution. When Bhutto was assassinated in December 2007, Zardari took over as her party’s chief and later was elected president by the country’s national and provincial lawmakers.

The graft cases in Switzerland stem from Zardari and Bhutto’s conviction in absentia in 2003 in Geneva on money-laundering charges. The case was suspended while the couple appealed, and then dropped by Swiss authorities at the request of the Pakistani government in 2008.

Though the Pakistani government has revived the corruption cases against Zardari, his vulnerability to prosecution remains in question. As president, he enjoys constitutional immunity.

However, Zardari’s opponents claim that under Pakistani law, he should never have been able to run for president because of a previous conviction.