Raja Pervez Ashraf acquitted in Rental Power Plant reference

An accountability court on Thursday acquitted former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf in the Rental Power Plant reference case.

The accountability court hearing the reference against Ashraf and other suspects had reserved its judgment in the case during the last hearing. The court announced that it had accepted the former prime minister’s acquittal plea in the case.

Ashraf was charged by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on three counts in the multi-billion scam. The PPP leader has maintained that he did not cause any loss to the national exchequer and was not involved in any corruption.

The former prime minister was indicted in July last year in the Reshma Rental Power Plant and Gulf Power Generation Company Ltd cases.

Ashraf was charged by NAB on three counts in the Rs22 billion scam. The ex-premier has maintained throughout that he did not cause any loss to the national exchequer and had not indulged in any corruption.

Noteworthy, the Karkey Karadeniz Elektrik Uretin (KKEU) was one of 12 rental power companies that had been awarded contracts by the PPP government in 2008-09 to ‘resolve’ the power crisis.

The company failed to provide the required electricity and then it moved the International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) which imposed a $1.2 billion penalty on Pakistan in 2017, which is now amicably resolved.

Due to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s intervention, the fine worth $1.20 billion imposed on Pakistan was waived.

The cabinet had said that Pakistani officials involved in the Karkey Rental case have pleaded guilty.

Ashraf was the federal minister for power and water at the time of the 2009 agreement. He was later elected as the country’s premier. Former secretary power and water, Shahid Rafi, was also arrested a few days in connection with the case.

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