ISLAMABAD, May 21: A Swiss magistrate has summoned former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, her husband Asif Ali Zardari and their agent for appearance in a money laundering case on June 15, said a government announcement here on Saturday. The Geneva examining magistrate summoned Ms Bhutto, Mr Zardari and their agent Jens Schlegelmilch to examine them. The government of Pakistan through its lawyers in Geneva, had also been invited to attend the hearing as a damaged party, said the statement.

Ms Bhutto, Mr Zardari and Schlegelmilch had already been indicted for aggravated money laundering. By Swiss law, the accused after conviction in aggravated money laundering case could face a sentence up to five-year rigorous imprisonment and a fine of up to one million Swiss Francs.

Meanwhile, Pakistan People’s Party spokesman Senator Farhatullah Babar denied that Ms Bhutto or Mr Zardari have received any summons. They would respond, after consulting their lawyers, if and when such a notice was served on them, he said.

There was nothing new or surprising in what the official spokesman had said, he said, adding that whenever rulers in Islamabad feel frustrated with their inability to convince the PPP and its leadership to give up its demand for democracy and free and fair elections, they try to agitate investigations in the Swiss case to put pressure and tarnish the image of Ms Bhutto, he deplored.

Huge amounts were being paid to lawyers from public exchequer, he alleged, to agitate the matter before investigation officials in Switzerland to create yet another opportunity for the media trial of Ms Bhutto.