Cotecna Reference: court disposes of case against Zardari, Nusrat

A judge of the Accountability Court in Rawalpindi on Friday disposed of the case against President Asif Ali Zardari and Nusrat Bhutto in the Cotecna reference "for lack of evidence". Delivering its verdict, the court said that the prosecution had failed to provide sufficient evidence to prove allegations against Asif Ali Zardari, Nusrat Bhutto, and a former chairman of CBR, AR Siddique.
President Asif Ali Zardari, Nusrat Bhutto and AR Siddique were co-accused in the Cotecna reference case, which alleged that Asif Ali Zardari had accepted kickbacks when the contract was awarded to Cotecna trading company. The reference accused Zardari and others of receiving $11.8 million in kickbacks in connection with the $131 million contract.
The reference had also named former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, but her name was withdrawn after her death in December 2007. The accountability court exempted Nusrat Bhutto from appearing in court on May 15. The Supreme Court on April 23 had also exempted Nusrat from appearing in the court after a medical certificate stating that she was ill was presented before the bench.