Zardari case: Pakistan pulls out

http://news.bbc.co.uk/go/rss/-/1/hi/world/south_asia/7326142.stm

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The Pakistani government has withdrawn from a money laundering case in Switzerland against Asif Ali Zardari, the husband of the late Benazir Bhutto.

Swiss authorities may still bring the case to trial, but lawyers say that Pakistan's withdrawal greatly weakens the chances of securing a conviction.

Mr Zardari is a leading figure in Ms Bhutto's Pakistan People's Party, which dominates the new Pakistani government. He has said corruption cases against him were politically motivated.

The case withdrawn by the Pakistani government relates to a multi-million dollar money laundering case in Switzerland.

Last month, a Pakistani court quashed the last of seven local corruption cases against Mr Zardari.

Reputation

They were withdrawn as part of an amnesty agreed last year between Ms Bhutto and President Pervez Musharraf.

The corruption charges in Pakistan have hung over Mr Zardari for more than a decade.

Allegations surfaced when he served in Ms Bhutto's governments in the 1990s.

Pakistanis nicknamed him Mr Ten Per Cent and he spent 11 years in prison on corruption and other charges but was not convicted.

He and Ms Bhutto always maintained the cases were politically motivated.