KARACHI, Aug 29: Leaders of the Pakistan Peoples Party handed over a memorandum to Swiss Consul General Julius Anderegg, on Friday, to register their protest over Swiss magistrate’s controversial findings against Ms Benazir Bhutto.

PPPP MNA Sherry Rehman, former defence minister Aftab Shaban Mirani, former Sindh governor Kamal Azfar, N.D. Khan, and other party leaders presented the memorandum at the Swiss Consulate General.

The memorandum points out that investigating magistrate Daniel Devaud’s order raised questions of conflict of laws and the application of the principle of double jeopardy.

The allegation that Ms Bhutto derived illegal benefit for the award of contract is precisely the same, which was tried earlier before Justice Malik Qayyum and Justice Najmul Hassan Kazmi of the Lahore High Court.

It is evident from the order of the investigating magistrate that he was aware of the pending proceedings in Pakistan, the PPPP memorandum says.

The memorandum raises a fundamental question of international law: “Whether a Pakistani national in connection with decision made within Pakistan, in good faith by accepting the recommendation of the revenue administration in the capacity of Prime Minister, is susceptible to the jurisdiction beyond Pakistan’s territories?” This is a case of triple jeopardy against Ms Bhutto and a threat to the security of Pakistan, it adds.

It recalls that Ms Bhutto has been a target of politically motivated investigations, state sponsored harassment, a sinister campaign of character assassination as well as gossip and innuendo for seven years. More serious, and criminal in nature, were the attempts to perjure justice to destroy the majesty of law, it says.

The audio cassettes of conversations between the trial judges and the law ministry as well as the minister for prosecutions is a clear example of the criminal conspiracy against her, the memorandum adds.