NAB challenges Ashraf’s acquittal

Moves IHC against accountability court’s decision in Sahiwal Rental Power case

ISLAMABAD:

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Friday moved the Islamabad High Court against an accountability court’s decision to acquit former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and others in the Sahiwal Rental Power reference.

The anti-graft body in its petition maintained that the accountability court had not completed all legal requirements in its judgment and its decision should be overturned.

On June 25, Islamabad Accountability Court-I Judge Mohammad acquitted Ashraf, a senior PPP leader, and nine others including former finance minister Shaukat Tareen and Pakistan Electric Supply Company (Pesco) former chief Basharat Cheema.

In its short order, the court noted that NAB could not prove any corruption charges against Ashraf and the others and their acquittal pleas were being accepted as the country had not suffered any loss.

Later on June 30, the accountability court also acquitted Ashraf and seven others in the Piranghaib rental power reference.

The reference in connection with the 192-megawatt rental power plant, set up in Piranghaib area of Multan, was filed by NAB Rawalpindi in 2014.

In 2009, the last PPP government had awarded contracts to nine RPPs to provide electricity to the country as a stopgap arrangement. These RPPs comprised both local and international firms, including the Karkey Karadeniz Elektrik Uretin of Turkey.

Raja Pervaiz Ashraf was the federal minister for water and power at the time of the signing of the agreement. Ashraf was later elected as the prime minister in June 2012 after disqualification of his predecessor Yousuf Raza Gilani.

In March 2012, the Supreme Court described the RPP contracts as non-transparent and declared them null and void after Faisal Saleh Hayat, who then belonged to the PML-Q and Khawaja Asif of the PML-N moved the court.

In January 2013, the court ordered NAB – the country’s top anti-graft watchdog – to proceed with corruption references against those who were at the helm of affairs when the contracts were signed.

The first NAB reference filed in May 2013 did not include Ashraf’s name. NAB filed a reference against the former PM in 2019 after Sahiwal-Multan project manager Rana Amjad became an approver.

Ashraf was accused of receiving kickbacks and commissions from nine rental power project firms during his tenure as the minister for water and power for awarding contracts to them for setting up their projects in the country in 2008 to overcome the electricity crisis.

He was also accused of misusing authority to obtain approval from the Economic Coordination Committee and the federal cabinet for an increase in the down payment to the RPPs from 7% to 14%, amounting to about Rs22 billion.

The accountability court on July 1 last year indicted Ashraf and others. He denied the charges. Ashraf is also facing a NAB reference against alleged irregularities in the Nandipur Power Plant.