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Pakistan's Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani waves to supporters upon arrival at the Supreme Court for a hearing in a contempt-of-court of notice, in Islamabad, Thursday.
ISLAMABAD -- Pakistan's Supreme Court on Thursday found Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani guilty of contempt of court for refusing to reopen corruption cases against the president, but gave him only a symbolic sentence of a few minutes' detention in the courtroom.
Gilani smiled when the verdict was read out in a packed courthouse. He had refused to abide by a court order to write a letter to Swiss authorities to reopen a $60-million money-laundering case against President Asif Ali Zardari.
It was unclear if the token sentence would defuse political uncertainty in Pakistan, where the president and prime minister have jousted with the military and judiciary. Despite the light sentence, Gilani could still face dismissal from office in the weeks, or more likely, months to come.
"For reasons to be recorded later, the prime minister is found guilty of contempt for wilfully flouting the direction of the Supreme Court," said Justice Nasir-ul-Mulk.
The conviction means Gilani is the first serving prime minister in Pakistan's history to be convicted by a court, but his detention lasted just a few minutes until the session was adjourned. He could have faced up to six months in jail and the loss of office.
Mohammad Sajjad / AP
Images of daily life, political pursuits, religious rites and deadly violence.
"I think what they've done is taken it from the legal arena and chucked it into the political arena," said Cyril Almeida, a prominent columnist for the Dawn daily newspaper.
He said opposition members of parliament now might move to expel Gilani from office.
"There will be massive pressure from the opposition, the media, from civil society, saying 'He's been convicted for flouting the letter of the law and he should go home,'" Almeida said. "There will be a lot of pressure for him to resign."
Tight security
A throng of supporters surrounded Gilani as he walked into the court in Islamabad, showering him with rose petals. Security was tight, with about 1,000 police officers standing by in riot gear and helicopters circling the Supreme Court building.
Gilani's lawyers had said before the verdict that he would not automatically be disqualified from office if convicted, and at any rate he would be able to appeal against the verdict.
"This is a historic day. The court has declared a lawmaker a lawbreaker. This is weakening democracy in Pakistan," said Firdous Ashiq Awan, former information minister.
Pakistan tests nuclear-capable missile as arms race intensifies
The case stems from what many observers say is a political battle between the government and the military, which has held the whip hand in Pakistan's political arena for most of the country's 64 years of independence. Many say the army is using the court to keep the government on the back foot.
The source of the current conflict is a graft case against Zardari that involves kickbacks he and his late wife, former Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto, allegedly received from Swiss companies when Bhutto was in power in the 1990s. They were found guilty in absentia in a Swiss court in 2003.
Zardari appealed, but Swiss prosecutors ended up dropping the case in 2008 after the Pakistani government approved an ordinance giving the president and others immunity from old corruption cases that many agreed were politically motivated.
The Pakistani Supreme Court ruled the ordinance unconstitutional in 2009 and ordered the government to write a letter to Swiss authorities requesting they reopen the case against Zardari. Gilani has refused, saying the Pakistani constitution grants the president immunity from criminal prosecution while in office.
NBC News' Fakhar ur Rehman, Reuters and The Associated Press contributed to this report.
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Is the prosecution of corrupt officials in Pakistan ONLY based upon "Political Motivations"? To hell with the politics, what ever happened to prosecuting people for plain old corruption?
If an independent inquiry found that they were guilty of graft, then they should be prosecuted, regardless of who they are. Remember Spiro T. Agnew? Vice President of the United States? Remember Richard Nixon? President of the United States?
PM of Pakistan and CEO of Federation was found guilty of and convicted for Contempt of Court under Article 204(2) of the Constitution of the Islamic Federation of Pakistan 1973 read with Section 3 of the Contempt of Court Ordinance (Ordinance V of 2003 )for Willful Floating,Disregard and Disobidience of this Court's Direction...for Refusing in Complying with an Order to Write a Letter to the Authorities in Switzerland to Ask Them to Reopen Corruption Cases (plural) against President Asif Ali Zardari. The 7 member Supreme Court. This case is not political- this case if true corruption that must be prosecuted. Any nation (including USA) must diligently and constitutionally prosecute corruption in any regime -in US of A- The White House- Czars-g'ment agencies, US congress etc. Corruption is the rusting or rotting of the underpinnings of any lawful g'ment. Pakistani Supreme Court should aalso have considered asking Dubai/Qatar for any 'unaccounted for' assets.
He should have been shot in the head along with all the rest of those terrorist bastards.
They are just following the example we have set out. America has one of the most corrupted Governments in the World.
"Lawmaker a lawbreaker"
Hmmm isnt that generally true for most politicians and people in positions of power? How do you think they got there?
Wow...............tis the very words we the people can use against our very own politicians, and it is very apropos..............'Our Lawmakers are the Lawbreakers'!!!!
This is it. our officials scare you.
I do hope ours are better.But given the latest scoops hmmm.
So have you ever asked? Yes there are aliens at the dry lake smiles
As long as the military has a hand in Pakistani government things will never be right. Can you imagine The Pentagon brass setting public policy in the US and threatening (or killing) politicians who didn't go along? We would never stand for it, and they shouldn't either.
We call that power entity...the military congressional complex
John Birch,
Actually, it's called the "military-industrial complex", a phrase coined by Dwight Eisenhower, a general who feared it and it's effect on American society. Time has shown that his fear was not un-founded.
There is a danger in the Taliban getting hold of a nuclear device, however it it more likely that they would use in on their fellow-Muslims in Pakistan than anywhere else.
Al Qaeda and the Taliban are self-destructive philosophies that want to people to behave based upon invalid 12th Century cultural values. They too shall pass despite the deaths they cause by the time it happens.
We are sure leaving a piece of crap world politically,To our kids. We should all be proud
What does that mean? We're not in Pakistan.
Here we go, Pakistan!! Here we go......to HELL IN A HAND BASKET.
Sorry, your tense is obviously wrong. It isn't 'to' hell, it's 'in' hell.
Let me guess: Good Old President '10 percent' must have nicked off some cash from a Zurich bank in the process of laundering other cash. I cannot see what other reason why the badges in Bern would go after him....
Security could not have been all that tight if they let supporters inside with bags of rose petals. Pakistan is a joke where it comes to its government. Money buys what you want, and the outcome goes to the highest bidder. Currently, Pakistan still wants its share of the opium crop from Afghanistan, so nothing will stop the cross border raids by Paki terrorists to destabilize the Afghan government. Of course, Pakistan still doesn't know how to deal with the Taliban, except to try and bribe them away with US aid money -- which will go directly to Al Qaeda, or back to Iran for more weapons.
What Money US gives to Pakistan? Its US War and they are using the road infrastructure and other areas. Its like getting a contract for any other services. Pakistan used their money first than US reimburse Pakistan. US Gov't Some time reimburse but brag all the time, that they are giving them billions of dollars. Average Americans needs to know this.
What we have achieved in Afghanistan or Iraq except 4 or 5 thousands Americans died in this useless war. Look who is making money from this war (War companies) and who is paying average Americans tax payers.
"...but gave him only a symbolic sentence of a few minutes' detention in the courtroom". WTF!?!? Freaking Pakis...
We are planning a possible International Pork Chop Cook-Off competition in IslamISbad on July 5th at the Muck Mood Ban duh turbin Bombah Hotel. If any of you are traveling or shopping or vacationing in the area around that time, you are invited to drop by, if you do please be aware that we may need more smokey mesquite sauce and more pork chop buns, thank you!
Pakistanis are so pretty