The statement said Ms Bhutto received a telephone call from Mr Musharraf at a time when she was with Mr Siegel. – File Photo

RAWALPINDI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has decided to present late Benazir Bhutto’s friend and lobbyist Mark Siegel before an anti-terrorism court in the former prime minister’s assassination case.

The FIA’s chief prosecutor, Chaudhry Zulfikar, told Dawn on Saturday that Mr Siegel was ready to appear before the court as a prosecution witness. He said the FIA had even got Mr Siegel’s statement recorded under article 161.

According to Mr Zulfikar, the agency’s additional director, Azad Khan, recorded the statement in the US in which Mr Siegel said former president Pervez Musharraf had threatened Ms Bhutto with dire consequences if she returned home before the 2008 general election.

The statement said Ms Bhutto received a telephone call from Mr Musharraf at a time when she was with Mr Siegel. In the conversation that followed, the general allegedly told Ms Bhutto that he would not be responsible for her security if she returned before the election.

Mr Zulfikar said that one of Ms Bhutto’s emails on the matter and Mr Sigel’s statement would be made part of the court proceedings at “the right time”.

Mr Siegel would also appear before the court to verify the statement.