ISLAMABAD: After the expiry of immunity to former President Asif Ali Zardari, an accountability court on Friday initiated proceedings against him in six corruption references.

The court issued notices to the prosecutor general of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) as well as the former president. Mr Zardari’s five-year-tenure as the president ended on September 8.

Accountability judge Mohammad Bashir summoned the NAB prosecutor on October 14. The notice will be served on Mr Zardari through the NAB prosecution.

According to a court official, the accountability court initiated the proceedings against Mr Zardari in compliance to the Supreme Court judgment passed in the National Reconciliation Ordinance (NRO) case in December 2009.

In the judgment, the apex court had ordered the revival of cases which had been closed after the promulgation of the NRO.

It may be mentioned that an accountability court in Rawalpindi while acquitting A. R. Siddiqui in the Cotecna reference on September 16, 2011, had also directed NAB that “the case of the accused (Asif Ali Zardari) would be taken up for trial on ceasing of the immunity.

Till that time, the file is consigned to the record room after its due completion,” the accountability judge Jahandar Khan Banth had ruled.

The Cotecna corruption reference was initially prepared by Saifur Rehman, the chairman of Ehtesab Bureau during the second government of Nawaz Sharif.

Former prime minister Benazir Bhutto and Asif Ali Zardari were the main accused in the reference and Nusrat Bhutto, former CBR chairman A.R. Siddiqui and six directors of the Swiss company Cotecna were the co-accused.

The directors never appeared before the court and were declared proclaim offenders. The judgment had also directed NAB that “the case against other proclaimed offenders will be initiated after their arrest.”

Ms Bhutto and Mr Zardari had been accused of taking as a kickback six per cent of the total value of a $131 million pre-shipment contract awarded to the Swiss company.

The other cases pending against Mr Zardari included the allegation of receiving kickbacks from SGS PSI Company, grant of licence to ARY Gold causing huge loss to government, illegal gratification and undue pecuniary advantage in the form of commission in purchase of Ursus tractors under the Awami Tractor Scheme[in Switzerland a bank account in the name of an offshore company which was allegedly used to receive the kickbacks.

Besides, illegal construction of a polo ground at the prime minister house and money laundering in the SGS Swiss case were also adjudication.

In some of the cases, Mr Zardari remained the only accused as the accountability courts had acquitted the other accused persons while cases against Benazir Bhutto, Nusrat Bhutto, former chairman CDA Shafi Sahwani were dropped after their death.

In addition to these references, there is another assets reference which is about the moveable and immovable property of Mr Zardari in Pakistan and abroad.

In the assets reference, the prosecution alleged that Mr Zardari had purchased a number of properties in the name of his front-men and deposited the money of kickbacks in different Swiss banks.

Legal experts, however, believe that Mr Zardari would be cleared in the corruption references as the co-accused have already been acquitted.

But for this, Mr Zardari has to fight a long legal battle.

Former additional prosecutor general NAB Mohammad Basir Qureshi told Dawn that the corruption references against Mr Zardari were ‘weak’. He said since the co-accused persons have already been acquitted Mr Zardari can also get a clean chit from the courts.

According to him, NAB prosecution would use the same record and the statements of witnesses which were insufficient to convict Mr Zardari’s accomplices.

When contacted, Amjad Iqbal Qureshi, a defence counsel in the ARY reference, said the witnesses cannot change their statements recorded in the accountability court.

“If any witness changes his earlier stance, he will face at least 10 years imprisonment under the NAB laws,” Mr Qureshi added.