ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Court Friday adjourned hearing of Reshma Rental Power Plant (RPP) and Gulf Power Generation Company Ltd cases against former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and others without any progress till December 15th.

The Accountability Court-III hearing RPP and Gulf Power Generation Company Ltd cases against former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and others adjourned hearing due to non-availability of judge Syed Asghar Ali.

The court on July 3rd, 2019 had indicted Sharif and others in both the cases. Defence counsel Arshad Tabraiz and the NAB prosecutor appeared before the court. PPP leader Raja Pervez Ashraf is accused of misusing his authority during his tenure as the federal minister for water and power to get approval from the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) for an increase in the down payment to the rental power companies from seven to 14 percent, amounting to about Rs22 billion.

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