GENEVA, Jan 8: Pakistan will pursue the case against the widower of slain opposition leader Benazir Bhutto for 60 million Swiss francs ($54 million) it claims the couple hid illegally in Switzerland, its lawyer said on Tuesday.

A hearing is expected to be held in Geneva in late January in the long-running money-laundering case, begun in 1997 against Ms Bhutto and her husband Asif Ali Zardari, according to Jacques Python, Pakistan’s lawyer in the Swiss city.

Mr Zardari, now de facto leader of the Pakistan People’s Party, is carrying the Bhutto dynasty’s torch after the former prime minister was killed in a gun and bomb attack on Dec 27 as she left an election rally.

“We remain a civil party in the (criminal) procedure against Mr Zardari,” Mr Python told Reuters. “To our knowledge, 60 million Swiss francs remain frozen in connection with the case.”

The amount is four times the $13 million previously referred to as being blocked in connection with alleged kickbacks from Swiss cargo inspection companies. Geneva judicial officials were not available to comment.

“She (Ms Bhutto) appears little in the bank documents. On the other hand, Mr Zardari’s name appears as the beneficial owner of most of the accounts that are frozen,” Mr Python said.

“The time has come to look at the technical issues so that the frozen funds can be returned to Pakistan.”

The couple always denied the charges and Ms Bhutto came to Geneva several times to testify that the case was politically motivated. They were convicted in 2003 of laundering funds worth $13 million and ordered to return that sum to Pakistan.

But the verdict was thrown out on appeal, sparking a fresh probe by a Geneva judge, whose confidential findings last year were contested by lawyers for both Ms Bhutto and Mr Zardari.

The forthcoming hearing in Geneva will decide whether the case returns to the judge for more work or goes to chief prosecutor Daniel Zappelli who can drop it or order a trial.

Swiss charges against Ms Bhutto ended with her death.—Reuters