Pakistani Prime Minister Gilani condemns court: for contempt of Justice

Gilani had refused to reopen an old criminal case against Pakistan's President Asif Ali Zardari for money laundering and corruption again.

Islamabad. For contempt of Justice of the Supreme Court of Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has condemned. The Prime Minister had refused, as ordered by the court to resume proceedings against President Asif Ali Zardari for corruption. In their ruling the judges on Thursday decreed that the penalty against Gilani had expired when the judge had left the room. So it was spared a jail sentence.

The verdict was primarily a symbolic act the same, it will cause problems for Prime Minister because he is now a criminal record. In the coming weeks or months, this could lead to his overthrow. His lawyer announced that he would appeal against the verdict.

Gilani is the longest serving prime minister in Pakistan's history, during which civilian governments overthrown again by the mighty forces of the country were - often with the help of the Supreme Court. Whose work is considered by many critics clearly politically motivated.

Background of the current conflict is a bribery case against President Zardari, where it should go to bribes, which are said to have he and his wife, the former prime minister Benazir Bhutto, will allegedly by Swiss companies, as Bhutto in the 90 years in office. Both were found in 2003 by a Swiss court convicted in absentia. Bhutto was killed at a campaign rally in December 2007 in an attack in Rawalpindi.

Zardari appealed to the Swiss decision, however, the local prosecutors presented a case in 2008 after the Pakistani government had approved an arrangement whereby the President and other immunity in old corruption cases. Not a few observers were in agreement that it is dealing with a politically motivated decision.

The Supreme Court ruled in 2009 that the arrangement is unconstitutional, and ordered the government to write a letter to Swiss authorities. It should be asked to reopen the case against Zardari again. Gilani rejected this, arguing that the Pakistani Constitution secure the President during his tenure immunity from prosecution.