ISLAMABAD, May 23: Chairperson of the Pakistan People’s Party and former prime minister Benazir Bhutto on Tuesday reached Geneva from London to appear before a Swiss magistrate in the SGS money laundering case on Wednesday, a source told Dawn.

Ms Bhutto, her husband Asif Ali Zardari and their agent Jens Schlegelmilch are facing charges of receiving kickbacks in the award of a pre-shipment inspection (PSI) contract to the SGS in 1994.

Earlier, Ms Bhutto appeared before the Swiss examining magistrate in September, last year, and the magistrate had asked Ms Bhutto to make herself available for the next hearing, whenever she would be summoned.

The Swiss magistrate has also been summoning Mr Zardari in the case, but according to the PPP leaders, he has not been attending the court’s proceedings due to his poor health. Mr Zardari’s lawyer had also submitted a medical certificate to the Swiss court stating that Mr Zardari was unable to travel.