Indicted for contempt, Pakistan PM Yousuf Raza Gilani pleads not guilty

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani was today indicted by Pakistan's Supreme Court for contempt for refusing to revive graft cases against President Asif Ali Zardari, but the embattled leader pleaded not guilty to the charges, conviction for which may cost him his job.

Gilani, 59, the first Pakistani Prime Minister to be arraigned by the apex court while in office, was summoned following his refusal for over two years to write to Swiss authorities to reopen corruption cases against Zardari.

At the commencement of the hearing Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk, who headed the seven-judge bench, read out the two-page charge sheet and asked Gilani whether he had gone through the charges against him and understood them.

To this, Gilani responded by saying, "Yes, I have read the charge sheet and have understood them."

"Do you plead guilty?" asked Jutice Nasir-ul-Mulk. "No," Gilani replied. If convicted, Gilani could face up to six months in jail and would be disqualified to hold public office for five years.

The court then directed Attorney General Maulvi Anwarul Haq to prosecute the case, giving him until February 16 to file documents.

The court set a February 22 date for the next hearing and asked the defence to file evidence by February 27, which will then be recorded on February 28. Following this, a date is expected to be set for Gilani's trial.

The Prime Minister, however, will be exempted from personally appearing in future hearings.

The indictment paving the way for Gilani's trial, marks another chapter to the over two-year long confrontation between the government and the judiciary over the issue of the graft amnesty to politicians.