Arrest warrant out for ex PM Yousuf Gilani

Date

9/2/2015 3:40:25 AM

(MENAFN- The Peninsula)

KARACHI: A Pakistani anti-corruption court yesterday issued an arrest warrant for former prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani in a case alleging millions of dollars of graft in a trade development scheme a security official said.

The same day another senior figure in the opposition Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) was accused in court of financing terrorism after being arrested the previous day. The PPP accuses its enemies of waging a smear campaign through the courts.

Gilani was prime minister in the PPP government from March 2008 until his disqualification and ouster by the Supreme Court of Pakistan in April 2012. He is currently vice chairman of his party.

The warrant was issued for Gilani and another senior party leader Makhdoom Amin Fahim according to Javed Akbar Riaz an official with the Anti-Corruption Unit of the Federal Investigation Agency. The pair were ordered to appear before the court on September 10.

Riaz said the agency had petitioned the court for the prosecution of Gilani and Fahim over their alleged approval and disbursement of hundreds of millions of dollars to fake companies through the government Trade and Development Authority.

SeNator Sherry Rehman said “It seems a revenge-like campaign is being carried out against the PPP.” Another PPP figure was ordered in detention for 90 days by an anti-terrorism court in Karachi yesterday.

Court papers alleged Asim Hussain a petroleum minister in the previous PPP-led government was involved in “terror and violence financing misappropriation of funds”.

Critics accuse the military of trying to weaken the civilian political system. The military says the crackdown is necessary to break the cycle of corruption and violence in Karachi. It has so far targeted mostly opposition politicians and not the ruling party of Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

AFP

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