National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor on Tuesday told the Accountability Court hearing the Nandipur power project scam that instead of informing the court why a summary regarding the project had not been approved, accused Babar Awan has again read out the charge-sheet before the court. NAB Prosecutor Usman Mirza while presenting his arguments on former Law Minister Babar Awan's acquittal application before the Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Arshad Malik said that the accused was to tell the court that day (Tuesday) why a summary had not been approved but he just read out the charge-sheet.
Mirza said the accused had earlier also filed an acquittal application before this court which he withdrew later. "Now he again filed the acquittal application and is advancing the same arguments," he said. The prosecutor said that according to a circular, the minister had to give approval to all summaries.
He said that the then Minister for Water and Power Raja Pervaiz Ashraf stated that he had personally met with Awan and told him to resolve the issue but he (Awan) told him that he did not know about it, he said, adding that the minister had told Awan to get information from secretary of law and justice regarding the matter.
During the course of hearing, Awan presented arguments before the court for his acquittal and said that prosecution did not produce any evidence before the court with respect to the allegation that he had delayed the Nandipur power project. The NAB has levelled baseless allegations against him, he said.
Awan also produced a letter before the court in which the Ministry for Water and Power had sought a legal opinion about the project from the law minister.
"I want to inform the court what kind of permission had been sought from Ministry and Law and Justice," he said, adding that Ministry of Law and Justice had been asked to provide full authority to a private foreign firm. "How could we give complete authority of the state to a private firm against a small amount?" he questioned, saying that he was not minister for law and justice at that time and even if he had held that office, he would not have given approval to such kind of summary. Awan said that there is allegation that the Ministry of Law and Justice had not responded timely to the summary. The Ministry of Law and Justice had replied to the summary every time, he said, adding that the minister does not approve the summary and it is the job of a section officer.
He said that he was not summoned by the Nandipur Commission set up in 2013. "There had been complete silence for four years after the commission was set up but when new cabinet was announced, the matter was raised again," he said, adding when he was the minister, the file of the Nandipur power project came in front of him only once.
He said that ministry had completed all formalities within 10 days and forwarded file to him. The ministry had given legal point of view, he said, adding that he did not know to whom legal viewpoint was required.
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