Rs 970 million payment by rental power company: Supreme Court extends deadline to Monday

The Supreme Court on Friday extended the deadline to January 17, 2011, for the ''Techno Sahuwal'' rental power company to reimburse Rs 970 million advance payment received from the government for generating power.
A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry and comprising Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Khalil-ur-Rehman Ramday, was hearing a suo motu case regarding ''fraud payment of RPPs detected by Nepra and alleged corruption in rental power plants (RPPs) contract''.
The Supreme Court had directed the company to reimburse Rs 970 million advance payment received from the government for power generation, along with mark-up by Friday otherwise, the case would be handed over to FIA. During the proceedings, the counsel for the company informed the court that the company had an account at a bank in Dubai and the banks, in UAE, remain closed on Fridays.
The company''s managing director assured the bench that the amount would be reimbursed in government of Pakistan''s kitty with two-year mark-up, on Monday, at any cost. The Supreme Court had ordered the company to submit Rs 970 million along with mark-up by 12:00 pm, and police was directed to handcuff and seize passport of the company''s owner, if the amount was not submitted in due course of time.
The court had also directed the company to produce a certificate in the SC after submitting the amount in the national exchequer by 12:00 pm, showing great annoyance over the negligence of the company for not complying with court orders, issued on Thursday. Later, Anwarul Haq, counsel for the company, prayed to the court to extend the deadline till Monday, which was accepted by the bench after registering the passport number of the company''s owner. The hearing was adjourned to January 17.