Ex-PM Raja Pervez Ashraf suffers blow as acquittal plea dismissed

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ISLAMABAD: An accountability court here on Wednesday dismissed applications of former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and ten other accused seeking acquittal in the Naudero II power plant case.

Judge Muhammad Bashir announced this verdict on the applications filed under NAB Amendment Ordinance, 2019.

The anti-corruption watchdog had filed a reference pertaining to Naudero II power plant case in 2013, according to which, Former Prime Minister Pervez Ashraf and other accused allegedly misused their powers, inflicting a loss of Rs7.5 million on the national exchequer.

On June 30, the accountability court had acquitted the former prime minister, former finance minister Shaukat Tareen and other accused in the Piraghaib Rental Power reference.
Other accused whose acquittal pleas were approved included Shaukat Tareen, Ismail Qureshi, Shahid Rafi, Tahir Basharat Cheema, Muhammad Saleem Arif, Chaudhry Abdul Qadreer, and Iqbal Ali Shah.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed the Piraghaib Rental Power reference in 2014, accusing Raja Pervez Ashraf of misusing his powers in his capacity as water and power minister to gain financial benefits in the project.