AC exempts Nusrat Bhutto from appearance

RAWALPINDI An Accountability Court (AC) here on Monday, once again, directed six foreign accused in the Cotecna Reference, filed by the National Accountability Bureau, to appear before the court on June 18, while exempted former chairperson of Pakistan Peoples Party Nusrat Bhutto from in-person appearance on medical grounds. The six accused are the foreign directors of the company. The court also accepted former chairman Central Board of Revenue AR Siddiquis application seeking exemption from appearing before the court on this hearing. In the Cotecna Reference, ex-prime minister Benazir Bhutto and her husband President Asif Ali Zardari are accused of taking six percent of the total revenue of pre-shipment for awarding a contract to Cotecna. The reference alleged that they received $11.8m in kickbacks for the $131m contract to supervise Pakistans Customs Service. The commission was paid to an offshore company allegedly owned by Zardari. Nusrat Bhutto and AR Siddiqui were co-accused in the case. Benazirs name was deleted from the case after her assassination in December 27, 2007.

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