Benazir to Summon Top Pakistani Generals for Cross Examination in her Trial
Special SAT Report
http://www.satribune.com/archives/aug10_16_03/P1_benazir.htm
LONDON: Former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, recently convicted by a Swiss Judge on money laundering charges, will fight the case till the last and intends to call top Generals and Government leaders from Pakistan to testify in her case.
“I would like an opportunity for my defence counsel to cross examine General Amjad and General Maqbool who were heads of NAB and malicious towards the Bhutto family,” she told the South Asia Tribune in an interview.
General Maqbool is presently the Governor of Punjab province and if Benazir Bhutto’s lawyers are able to drag him to the Swiss court, it could turn out to be an embarrassing case for the military regime of General Musharraf.
Benazir Bhutto described the charges against her as “regurgitated nonsense” and appeared to be on an all-out offensive against those who had worked to get the conviction from the Swiss judge, specially the two ex-NAB Generals.
“Amjad’s name was associated with the Attock Conspiracy case to kill democracy in the seventies when my father (ZA Bhutto) was the Prime Minister (as were several prosecutors),” she said.
“General Maqbool was caught red handed with counterfeit dollars in Washington where he served as defence attaché and I ordered his return to Pakistan,” she told the SA Tribune.
Benazir Bhutto believes that she could prove her innocence in the case and alleges that witnesses were forced to make false statements. “There are witnesses who will testify to the attempts to torture and threaten them in exchange for perjured statements,” she said.
She was asked by SA Tribune, via E-Mail, as to how she was planning to contest the case in Geneva.
She said: “I plan obtaining legal advice to contest the finding of the Investigating magistrate that there is a prima facie case for the charges made by my political rivals. The findings are regurgitated nonsense repeated for the last six years by my political opponents to undermine my leadership. The regime is trying to play off two legal systems to confuse the public and are using enormous funds for the purpose. The charge that I influenced the award of a preshipment contract or benefited from it is incorrect.”
Explaining, she said: “For example, according to the finding of the Investigating magistrate dated July 31, 2003 , I was “found guilty on 15 November 1998 at Islamabad, Pakistan following the holding of an international commission inquiry on 17 August 1998”. The Magistrate believes this while all Pakistanis know how untrue it is that I was found guilty on 15 November 1998. In fact, the one sentence against me was set aside and is no more in the field after tapes proved that I was framed.”
Benazir also cast doubts on the intentions of the Swiss Judge saying: “I am told that as an elected official, the Investigating magistrate likes the publicity that my name draws. On the other hand, it could be that he was deceived by the NAB officials.”
She continued: “I would like an opportunity for my defence counsel to cross examine General Amjad and General Maqbool who were heads of NAB and malicious towards the Bhutto family. Amjad’s name was associated with the Attock Conspiracy case to kill democracy in the seventies when my Father was the Prime Minister (as were several prosecutors). General Maqbool was caught red handed with counterfeit dollars in Washington where he served as defence attaché and I ordered he return to Pakistan.
“There are witnesses who will testify to the attempts to torture and threaten them in exchange for perjured statements.
“I would also like the help of journalists tortured by the regime because they disagreed with their policies to prove that I am a victimized due to my political views.