IHC issues notices on NAB appeals in RPP case

The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has issued notices to the respondents including former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on an appeal filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against their acquittal in a power plant case.

A division bench comprising Justice Aamer Farooq and Justice Ghulam Azam Qambrani on Wednesday heard the graft buster’s petition, requesting the court to set aside an accountability court’s decision to acquit the PPP leader and others in the Piranghaib Rental Power Reference.

Islamabad Accountability Court-I Judge Muhammad Bashir June 30 acquitted Asharaf, former finance minister Shaukat Tareen and six others accused in the Piranghaib case.

Taking up NAB’s appeal, the IHC bench asked if the case was part of the Nandipur Power Plant reference. The NAB prosecutor informed the bench that it was a separate reference.

The bench was told the NAB has also filed an appeal against acquittal of Ashraf and other accused in the Sahiwal Rental Power Plant Reference. The same accountability court on June 25 accepted the acquittal pleas of Ashraf, Tareen and eight other accused in the Sahiwal RPP case.

The prosecution told the bench that one of the accused Chaudhry Abdul Qadeer had become NAB’s approver in the case but he was currently abroad. The court ordered its office to club both the appeals and issue notices to all respondents once again.

Announcing the verdict in the 'Sahiwal RPP Reference', the accountability court had remarked that the national exchequer had incurred no loss and therefore the reference could not be justified.

In its short order in the Piranghaib case, the court had noted that NAB could not prove any corruption charges against Ashraf and the other accused and as the country did not suffer any loss.