ISLAMABAD, July 9: The former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, on conviction, was once again sentenced to three years’ rigorous imprisonment and confiscation of her immovable properties in absentia here on Tuesday in the ARY Gold reference by an accountability court.

This is the third time that the accountability court has sentenced PPP chairperson to three years RI under section 31A of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) ordinance for her failure to appear before the court both in the assets case and the SGS case.

Judge Mansoor Ali Khan of the Accountability Court No II convicted Benazir Bhutto after dismissing defence arguments that she could not be condemned unheard as she had left the country after getting prior approval and exemption from personal appearance by the then Ehtesab Bench of the Lahore High Court Rawalpindi Bench during the Nawaz Sharif government.

Asif Ali Zardari was present during the court proceedings with his counsel Babar Awan and Farooq Naik advocate.

Benazir Bhutto was found guilty of avoiding service of a court summons issued in January 2002. The accountability court had re-issued a summons through Registrar Lahore High Court in March 2002 for service through Pakistan embassies in Dubai and London, but she allegedly ignored it.

The accountability court finally issued proclamation orders against Ms Bhutto in May 2002, and today convicted her for avoiding court service.