RPPs reference: AC to indict Pervaiz Ashraf on March 26

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court in Islamabad on Wednesday announced March 26 new date to indict former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf in the rental power projects (RPPs) reference and issued summons to all the accused to appear before the court on the said date.

The accountability court judge Muhammad Arshad Malik geared the RPPs reference against Pervaiz Ashraf. Despite the court orders, Pervaiz Asharaf didn’t appear before the court, as he was supposed to be indicted on Wednesday.

The court announced March 26 to indict the former PM and other accused in the case and also issued summons to them to appear before the court. The court will frame charges against Pervaiz Ashraf, Reshma Power Generation (Pvt) Limited, Gulf Rental Power Pvt Ltd and Young Gen Power Ltd.

The former PM is accused of misusing his authority during his tenure as the minister for water and power to get approval from the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet for an increase in the down payment to the rental power companies from 7 to 14 percent, amounting to about Rs22 billion.

Private power companies are facing the allegations of receiving more than Rs22 billion mobilisation advances from the government of Pakistan to commission the projects, but failed to set up the plants. Only few of them completed their set up (plants), but with delay.