Karkey corruption case: AC seeks NAB's response to delay in supplementary reference

ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Court Wednesday asked the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to submit its response over the delay in filing of supplementary reference in connection with the Karkey rental power corruption case against former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and others.

The Accountability Court judge, Asghar Ali, while hearing the case, directed the NAB investigation officer, Asghar Khan, to appear before it during the next hearing in order to explain delay in the filing of supplementary reference.

The Karkey Karadeniz Elektrik Uretin (KKEU) was one of 12 rental power companies that had been awarded contracts by the Pakistan People's Party (PPP) government in 2008-2009 to "resolve" the power crisis.

The co-accused including former managing director of the Pakistan Electric Power Company (PEPCO) Ismail Qureshi, former PECO managing director Tahir Bashir Cheema and former members of PEPCO, Saleem Arif, Razi Abbas, Fazal Ahmed Khan, Chaudhry Abdul Qadeer, Iqbal Ali Shahu, Noorul Arifeen have filed their reply regarding their acquittal applications through their counsel.

However, the main accused, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf failed to file his reply regarding his acquittal application.

The court adjourned hearing of the case till September 2nd.

Ashraf and others had filed acquittal applications under the NAB Amendment Ordinance, 2019.

The bureau had filed 12 RPP references including the Turkish ship-mounted power plant (Karkey), Piranghaib power plant, Multan, Sahiwal power plant, Guddu power plant in Sindh, Naudero-I power plant in Sindh, Naudero-II power plant in Sindh, Reshma Power Generation in Raiwind, Young Gen Power Ltd, Bhikki, Gulf Rental Power (Pvt) Ltd, 150MW Sharaqpur RPP, and Gujranwala Electric Power Company (Gepco).

Out of the 12 cases, the Accountability Court Islamabad has acquitted Ashraf and others in two cases, Multan, Sahiwal power plant and Piranghaib power plant, while the Accountability Court, Lahore, acquitted Ashraf and others in the Gujranwala Electric Power Company (Gepco) case.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2020