Benazir’s husband indicted on drug trafficking charges

Zardari was charged with providing “aid, assistance, facilitation, abetment and shelter” to six co-accused who are absconding, they said.

The indictment order said Zardari received a “share” in the narcotics business from the co-accused, who had allegedly exported a consignment worth millions of dollars to Europe and India in 1995 and 1996.

Court sources said Zardari, pleading not guilty, refused to receive the order and did not sign the chargesheet, claiming the court was biased.

Zardari was arrested soon after the dismissal of Benazir’s government in November 1996 on charges of misrule and financial wrong doings. He is facing several criminal and corruption cases. The coupledenied the charges.

Benazir, who has also been convicted in the corruption case along with Zardari, has not returned to Pakistan since a verdict was passed against the duo in mid-April this year.

The release by the accountability bureau, created by Premier Nawaz Sharif to try alleged corruption cases during Benazir’s rule, also said that Zardari had earlier challenged the filing of chalan in this case as also the jurisdiction of the judge before the Lahore High Court. However, it was dismissed by a division bench on September 16.

It said properties and assets of all accused in the case stand attached with the government as per a court order.

The bureau release said narcotics related charges against Zardari had earlier been probed in Britain, United States and Switzerland.

London’s Bow Street Magistrate had sent 20,000 documents to the home office on Zardari’s involvement in drug trafficking, it said adding that US Anti-Narcotics had also probed similar charges against Zardari and hisaccomplices. Swiss authorities had also investigated similar charges against Zardari and others and blocked their properties in December 1998, it added.