IHC admits for hearing NAB appeal against acquittal of accused

ISLAMABAD : Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Wednesday has admitted for hearing the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) appeal against acquittal of accused in Rental Power corruption case. According to details, notices have been issued to all the suspects including former Prime Minister (PM) Raja Pervaiz Ashraf.   The anti-graft watchdog representative stated that accountability court had acquitted the ex-premier against the law. All the accused got benefit from NAB amendment ordinance, he added. Earlier, the accountability court had acquitted former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, former finance minister Shaukat Tareen and others accused in the Pir Ghaib Rental Power reference. It is to be mentioned here that three RPPs (Reshma Power Generation Private Limited, Gulf Rental Power Private Limited and Young Gen Power Limited) case was about private power companies that faced allegations of receiving more than Rs22 billion mobilisation in advance from the government to commission the projects, but failed to set up the plants. A few of them had set up the plants, but only after an inordinate delay. Raja Pervaiz Ashraf was accused of misusing his authority during his tenure as power minister for approval of increasing down payment to the rental power companies from 7 to 14 per cent, amounting to about Rs22 billion.