'Billionaire' Zardari has built massive global empire - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Pakistan President Asif Ali Zardari is a 'billionaire' having massive empire across the world, the Supreme Court has heard during a hearing, following which it has asked the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to submit a comprehensive record of 60 million dollars allegedly kept by Zardari in Swiss bank accounts. NAB Additional Prosecutor General Abdul Baseer Qureshi told the court that an application, filed with the Swiss government, for the return of 60 million dollars was withdrawn by former Attorney General Malik Qayyum. However, Qayyum has rejected the allegations, saying he has not withdrawn the application. In its written testimony submitted to the apex court, the NAB claimed that Zardari, who was often referred as Mr.Ten Percent during his wife Benazir Bhutto's regime, owned homes and estates across the world, including Britain. According to the testimony, Zardari paid a whopping 4.35 million pounds for the British estate in 1995. It was then claimed that Zardari had built his own private polo ground on the 350-acre estate and recreated the local village pub in one of its suites, The Telegraph reports. The report said that Zardari had amassed an eye-watering 876 million pounds, mainly during his wife's regime, in deposits and properties. Apart from depositing 175 million pounds in Pakistan, he also has million of pounds deposited in various banks of Britain, US, Spain and France. Meanwhile, Qayyum, who is considered as one of the main persons behind the promulgation of the controversial National Reconciliation Ordinace (NRO), has denied revealing the name of the person who had issued directives to get Zardari's Swiss accounts' cleared from litigation in foreign courts. "Sorry, I cannot reveal the name of the personality who asked me to submit the NRO copies before the Swiss court for the withdrawal of cases on behalf of the Government of Pakistan," Qayyum said. It is pertinent to mention here that it is believed that the then President General Pervez Musharraf or Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz had asked to clear Zardari's Swiss bank accounts.