The Hindu : International : New turn to Bhutto mansion row

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Wednesday, Nov 24, 2004

International

International

New turn to Bhutto mansion row

By Hasan Suroor

LONDON, NOV. 23. Who should benefit from the sale of the £4-million British country house? The Pakistan Government or Asif Ali Zardari, husband of the former Prime Minister, Benazir Bhutto?

Mr. Zardari claims that the proceeds from its sale should go to him because he was its legitimate owner but the Government of Pervez Musharraf disputes this, alleging that he bought it with money obtained through corrupt means when he was a minister in his wife's Government in the early nineties.

Islamabad's claim is part of its drive to repossess the assets of Ms. Bhutto and her husband, which it alleges, were acquired by siphoning off Government money.

Mr. Zardari's legal team was quoted as saying that there was no evidence that the nearly 400-acre house was bought with corrupt money.

The court hearing follows a long-simmering dispute between Mr. Zardari and Islamabad over the ownership of the luxury mansion.

Until recently, Mr. Zardari had denied that he had anything to do with the house but when it emerged that the consortium, which had bought it in 1995, proposed to sell it he claimed that he was the `beneficial' owner of the consortium — and, thus, also the legitimate owner of Rockwood. The house has since been sold for more than £4 millions, and a court will decide who should get the money.

Inquiry ends

The inquiry into one of the most controversial and bloody military actions in Northern Ireland has ended after nearly seven years of labour with many of the key issues still shrouded in mystery.

The inquiry was set up in January 1998 to investigate the deaths of 13 unarmed civilians allegedly in unprovoked firing by British soldiers in Londonderry on January 30, 1972 dubbed the "Bloody Sunday.'' It heard more than 900 witnesses and is estimated to have cost over £150 million. Lord Saville, who headed the probe, will give his report next year, but in his closing submission the counsel for the inquiry admitted that confusion still remained about the exact circumstances in which the soldiers fired.

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