October 07, 2007	Sunday	Ramazan 24, 1428

LAHORE, Oct 6: Despite the promulgation of the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) PPP chairperson Benazir Bhutto is unlikely to get relief in foreign cases, claimed Labour Party Pakistan (LPP) secretary-general Farooq Tariq.

“Ms Bhutto will fail to get any relief from the Swiss court seized with Cotecna corruption case against her as Swiss lawyers say there exists concrete and significant evidence against her,” Mr Tariq said here on Saturday on his return from Switzerland capital Berne where he attended a two-day world conference on Swiss bank accounts of dictators and corrupt politicians and third world loans.

The moot organised by an NGO, AFP Finance Action Switzerland, was attended by legal experts, social activists and political leaders from across the world.

Mr Tariq said Swiss government officials and social activists, while commenting on reports of the NRO, told the participants that it was an undemocratic law and made it clear that the “Musharraf-Bhutto deal” would not affect the court proceedings going on against PPP chairperson in Swiss courts.

“The cases will not be withdrawn and their hearing continue as per schedule,” he quoted the Swiss officials as saying.

Citing Swiss lawyers, Mr Tariq said on the basis of ‘solid and significant’ evidence made part of the record in corruption cases against Ms Bhutto, her acquittal was unlikely.

The conference participants, he said, demanded that Swiss banks should make the details of the accounts of dictators, corrupt politicians and bureaucrats public setting aside secrecy rules. They demanded the banks must not help the corrupt plunder wealth of their respective countries by keeping their accounts secret.

The LPP leader said he told the conference that his country was burdened by foreign loans, which surged to $40 billion despite paying Rs300 billion as annual debt servicing.

He said the Musharraf regime had received more than $50 billion under various heads since 9/11 incident, but “instead of reaching the poor the receipts were diverted to procurement of weapons and luxuries.”