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Zardarisettoget3millionpoundsricherfromsaleproceedsofSurreyPalace
London,Sept22 (ANI):Onlya few legal formalitiesare
leftafterwhichnewlyelected
PakistanPresidentAsifAliZardariwouldpocketnearly
threemillionpounds from the
Pakistaniexchequer, the saleproceedsofSurreyPalace
theRockwoodHouse which
wassoldthrougha liquidator
in2004afterZardariandhisslainspouseBenazirBhutto
werefoundguiltyofcorruption.
Thetotalworthofthemansiontodayisestimatedtobearound8.5millionpounds.That
sum (threemillionpounds)will add the fortuneof
Zardari,whohadonly lastmonth
received 32millionpounds in frozen assets released tohimby the
Swiss authorities,
afterGenevaprosecutorsdroppedthemoneylaunderinginvestigationagainstZardariat
therequestofthePPPledalliancegovernment.
Formorethan10years,themansionhasbeenthesymbolofcorruptionchargesbeing
leveledagainstZardariandhiswifeBenazir.
Spreadoveranareaof335acres,thePalacewasboughtopaquelybytheBhuttoZardari
familyin1995for2.5millionpoundsduringBhuttossecondtermasprimeminister.The
sale,handledbytheBhuttosSwisslawyer,JensSchlegelmilch,wasparticularlyopaque.
ThemoneycamefromtheGenevabankaccountsofshellcompaniesregisteredoffshore
inPanamaandtheBritishVirginIslands.
Thepurchaserswere three IsleofMan firmsownedby two local
trustswhich in turn
were controlled by a foundation in Liechtenstein. Suspicions
about the true owners
surfaced in 1996 with claims that the Bhuttos could have got the
estate from the
proceedsofcorruption.ItwasoneoftheallegationsthatledtoBhuttobeingsackedas
primeministerandtoZardaribeingjailedonchargesofcorruptionandcomplicityinthe
murderofMirMurtazaBhutto,hiswifesbrother.
A year later evidence of the Bhuttos labyrinthine financial
dealings came to light in
documentsfromSchlegelmilchsGenevaoffice,whichweresoldtothegovernmentfora
reportedUSD
1m.
In1998,thenewNawazSharifgovernmentgotafreezing injunction inthe
IsleofMan
andin2002thecompanieswentintovoluntaryliquidation.Twoyearslater,theEnglish
liquidator sold the estate to the current owner, a local
businessman, for 4.3 million
pounds.
Pakistan started lengthy, expensive civil proceedings to reclaim
what it argued was
stolenstatemoneybutforeightyearsZardariandBhuttodeniedtheyownedRockwood
House despite thewellpublicisedarrivalof cratesof
luxuriousartefacts, including a
stuffedBengal
tiger,
from
the
Bhuttos
home
in
Karachi.
Workers
engaged
on
elaborate
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renovationsatthepropertyclaimedZardaritoldthemhealsowantedastudfarmand
polocentre.
Itwas only in 2004,when Zardariwas freed fromjail without trial,
that his lawyers
admitted,inanIsleofMancourt,thathewasthebeneficialowner.
ThecasewenttothehighcourtinLondonandin2006JusticeCollinsdeclaredtherewas
areasonableprospectofPakistanestablishingthatBhuttoorherhusband,orthepair
together,boughtandrefurbishedRockwoodwiththefruitsofcorruption.
Thecase thendidnotprogress, largelybecauseofZardarisclaimsof
illhealth, issued
fromhishomeonNewYork
sUpperEastSide.Medicalreportstothecourtbetween
June 2005 and September last yeardeclare that Zardari suffered
from severemental
health problems, including dementia, major depressive disorder
and posttraumatic
stressdisorder.
