IHC’s Justice Aamer Farooq issues notices to NAB with directions to argue the matter on April 10. PHOTO: EXPRESS/FILE
ISLAMABAD: Former Finance Minister Shaukat Tarin has asked the Islamabad High Court to quash the corruption references against him over Rental Power Projects (RPP) in the country.
IHC’s Justice Aamer Farooq has issued notices to the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), with directions to argue the matter on April 10.
The former minister’s lawyer, Salman Aslam Butt, argued during Wednesday’s hearing that NAB had filed the reference “without having concrete evidence against Tarin” while the concerned court had already indicted the petitioner and others in the references. During Wednesday’s hearing, Justice Farooq asked whether a case could be quashed before the trial is concluded. Subsequently, the court directed NAB and Butt to argue the question at the next of hearing of the case.
NAB had approved two references against former Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, Tarin and others in the RPP corruption cases in February 2014. NAB is investigating 12 cases relating to the RPPs and Ashraf, Tarin are facing several references in the RPP scandal. The bureau’s executive board had filed three references against the PPP leaders. However, it approved only two references — Piranghaib, Multan, and Techno Engineering Services (Pvt) Ltd Sahuwal, Sialkot — for alleged corruption, corrupt practices and misuse of authority in awarding the RPP contracts.
Some other prominent officials implicated in the references included former federal secretary Shahid Rafi, Rana Amjad and Salman Siddique.
NAB officials said that the suspects were allegedly accused of concealing facts while seeking the approval of the competent forum, making post-bid changes thus causing huge loss to the national exchequer.
Published in The Express Tribune, April 6th, 2017.
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