The National Accountability Bureau (NAB)’s Rawalpindi chapter on Monday forwarded a reference about the Rental Power Project (RPP) case to the NAB chairman which excludes the names of former Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and other influential figures.
NAB headquarters sources confirmed that they had received the reference, adding that NAB Chairman Admiral (R) Fasih Bokhari had signed the reference and it would likely be filed before the Rawalpindi Accountability CourtRawalpindi on Monday.
However, Raja Pervaiz Ashraf’s name, the principal accused in the RPPs case, was not mentioned in the reference. Sources said his name had been excluded because the bureau had allowed him the opportunity to submit a written reply by June 3, after which a decision about adding his name would be made. If he made an unsatisfactory reply, a supplementary reference containing his name would be submitted to the accountability court.
NAB had summoned Ashraf for questioning by May 14 regarding corrupt practices and misuse of power while awarding an RPP contract (Naudero-II) to Walters Power International. According to sources, the Naudero-II project was the first out of 12 RPP cases in which the former premier has been implicated.
Earlier, on March 13, NAB discreetly ended its investigation without informing the Supreme Court and official documents revealed that the probe was closed three days before the end of the previous government’s tenure.
The SC had given NAB a month to complete its investigations. The bureau was expected to submit a report by May 27.