Verdict on acquittal pleas today
RECORDER REPORT
ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Court hearing Nandipur Power Project corruption reference will announce its judgement on acquittal applications of former Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, former minister Babar Awan and others today (Tuesday).
Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Arshad while hearing the case on Monday observed that the court would announce its judgement regarding acquittal pleas of Ashraf, Awan, former Secretary Law Riaz Kiyani, former Secretary Law Dr Riaz and former Research Consultant at the Ministry of Law & Justice Shumaila Mahmood on Tuesday (today).
While arguing before the court, Prosecutor NAB Umsan Mirza said that there is allegation of dishonesty against the accused persons. The project was delayed despite the directives of the then prime minister, he further said.
Mirza said the country suffered a loss of Rs 27 billion due to delay in completion of the Nandipur Power Project by the Ministry of Law.
The court after hearing the arguments of the prosecutor and different counsels reserved its judgement.
The court on the previous hearing reserved its judgement on Awan’s acquittal application because it wanted to announce verdict on all applications filed by other accused persons together.
The Nandipur Power Project was approved by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) in December 2007 at the cost of $329 million. After approval, the contract was signed in January 2008, between Northern Power Generation Company Limited (NPGCL) and Dong Fang Electric Corporation (DEC), China, and two consortiums — COFACE for 68.967 million euros and SINOSURE for $150.151 million.
In 2008, the Ministry of Water and Power approached the Ministry of Law to get a legal opinion but the accused in connivance with one another and mala fide intentions repeatedly refused to issue the advice on flimsy grounds.
Furthermore, the Ministry of Water and Power also failed to take any concrete measures to resolve the issue and the matter remained pending. The legal opinion was issued in November 2011 while the delay caused a loss of Rs 27 billion.
The anti-graft body had filed the reference against Ashraf, Awan and others including Muhammad Masood Chishti, former Secretary Law, Riaz Kiyani, former Secretary Law, Shumaila Mahmood, former Research Consultant at Ministry of Law & Justice, Dr Riaz Mahmood, former senior Joint Secretary Law, and Shahid Rafi, former Secretary Water & Power, on September 4 last year.
