September 20, 2002	Friday	Rajab 12, 1423

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ISLAMABAD, Sept 19: An accountability court on Thursday indicted Asif Ali Zardari in the SGS corruption reference.

The charges, which were read out in the presence of Mr Asif, were, however, denied by him.

Later, the court adjourned the hearing till September 30 for the recording of evidence against the accused.

Asif Zardari was facing the charges of receiving $72.5 million (6 per cent commission of total amount received by the company from the government of Pakistan) as kickbacks and by misusing his authority as holder of the public office in the award of a pre-shipment inspection contract to M/s Societe Generale Surveillance (SGS).

The court on Tuesday had also framed charges against the former chairman of Central Board of Revenue (CBR), A R Siddiqui, in the same reference.

The same court has already convicted Benazir Bhutto, the former prime minister, in the same case and awarded her three years imprisonment under Section 31-A of the NAB Ordinance after declaring her proclaimed offender.

According to the indictment, the contract was awarded to the SGS through corrupt, dishonest and illegal means to obtain pecuniary advantages through commission and kickbacks. These commissions were earlier agreed to be paid by the M/s SGS to be submitted in the bank accounts of Off-shore companies allegedly operated by their fiduciary agent Jens Schlegilmilch.

The Off-shore companies include Bomer Finance Incorporated, Mareston Securities Incorporated and Nassam Overseas Incorporated of which, the reference alleged, both Benazir Bhutto and Asif Zardari were the beneficiaries. The pre-shipment inspection contract was awarded in September 29, 1994.