ISLAMABAD, Aug 5: Information Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Tuesday termed the verdict of a Swiss court against Pakistan People’s Party Chairperson Benazir Bhutto and former senator Asif Zardari historic and said it would have impact on the cases being tried against them in the country.

Briefing newsmen about the decision, the minister claimed that the verdict had given a new turn to all the cases being tried against Ms Bhutto.

“The Swiss court decision would obviously help us unveil other scandals of the PPP chairperson and her husband,” he said.

He said $11 million to be confiscated in the case would be handed over to the government if the accused did not appeal against the verdict within 14 days.

Mr Rashid said the money, if transferred to Pakistan, would be utilized in mitigating the sufferings of the flood-affected people in Sindh and Balochistan.

He said Ms Bhutto and her husband had been sentenced for six months each while her counsel Jens Schlegelmilch would have to face a four-month imprisonment for receiving commission in SGS and Cotecna deal.

“If she goes for the appeal, the sentence will automatically be waived, but in that case it would be obvious that the money belongs to her,” he said.

“Under the decision, a famous necklace of Ms Bhutto worth 117,000 pounds would also be handed over to the government of Pakistan,” he said.

The minister said the National Accountability Bureau had detected 61 bank accounts of Ms Bhutto and her husband in various countries. “The agency is also investigating these accounts to unearth other money laundering scams,” he said.

Replying to a question, he said the case had been tried in the Swiss court for five years and it had nothing to do with the current political situation in the country.

He rejected a claim that the Swiss judge announced the verdict a day before his retirement and said the judge had been promoted.

Responding to a question he said former prime minister Nawaz Sharif was forced to leave the country while Ms Bhutto escaped intentionally and their cases were different.

He said the government was not making any deal with the Muttahida Majlis-i-Amal to settle the Legal Framework Order issue.