Gilani insists on presidential immunity

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani on Thursday told Supreme Court that the President Asif Ali Zardari enjoys immunity, while appearing on contempt charges over his refusal to ask the Swiss to re-open graft cases.

"I have come today to show my respect to this court," Yousuf Raza Gilani told Apex court in a statement. "It will not give a good message to proceed against a president who is elected by a two-thirds majority."

"There is complete immunity for head of states everywhere," Gilani told the seven judges presiding over the case.

"I have discussed this with my friends and experts, and they all agree that he has got complete immunity," Gilani added.

The government has always argued that as head of state, President Asif Ali Zardari enjoys immunity from office and has therefore refused court demands to write to the Swiss authorities to re-open long-standing corruption cases.

Copyright AFP (Agence France-Presse), 2012