ISLAMABAD, July 21: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) claimed on Wednesday that the Geneva Court of Appeals has confirmed restitution of $2.4 million to the government of Pakistan in the Ursus tractor case.

According to the NAB, the court of appeals had rejected an appeal filed against the orders of the Examining Magistrate, Geneva, issued on Nov 18, 2003, in which the court had ordered restitution of the amount to Pakistan from the accounts of DARGAL Associated SA, an off-shore company through which the former PPP government allegedly made a deal for the import of tractors for the country.

In this case, former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, her husband Asif Ali Zardari, their partner Jens Schlegalmilch and some other people were accused of having obtained pecuniary advantage in the form of commissions and kickbacks in the case of Ursus tractors, a tractors manufacturing company of Poland.

It was also alleged that the contract had been awarded in violation of relevant laws, rules and regulations which caused loss to the Central Board of Revenue and the Agriculture Development Bank of Pakistan (Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited).

The NAB said the case had been dormant since 1997 and in July 2002, the government of Pakistan requested the Swiss authorities under Mutual Legal Assistance (MLA) for the restitution of funds frozen on accounts of DARGAL Associated SA.

In November 2003, the Examining Magistrate, Geneva, Mrs Christine Junod, acceding to the request of the government of Pakistan ordered restitution of $2.4 million from the offshore company's account, the NAB claims.

In reply to NAB's claim, PPP spokesperson Senator Farhatullah Babar said that neither did the London property was that of Ms Bhutto nor was the DARGAL Company was owned by her as alleged by the NAB.

"The latest tirade of the NAB has come just when Mohtarama Bhutto announced in London the formation of a special committee to address issues such as parliamentary accountability of defence expenditure and policy framework for intelligence agencies," he said.

He said the restitution from the account of DARGAL Associated SA had nothing to do with Ms Bhutto. "Nowhere has it been said in the court's order that the offshore companies or the Swiss bank accounts involved in alleged money laundering belonged to the Bhuttos," he added.

The PPP spokesperson said the tractors had been purchased from Poland at a cost of Rs150,000 each against their market value of Rs250,000. After the overthrow of the PPP government the same tractors was given to farmers at Rs450,000 each.