Islamabad: Pakistan’s former premier Raja Pervaiz Ashraf on Saturday said a vicious propaganda was launched without any investigation into the allegations against him.
Asharf on Saturday appeared before an Accountability Court but could not be indicted as the hearing of the rental power case was adjourned until January 3. Following his appearance in the Court, Ashraf along with his counsel Faruque H Naek spoke to the media.
Ashraf said he wished that all the facts should come to fore for which he kept silent all this time. He said that the corruption of Rs 22 billion has been alleged against him. Naek said his client has no charge of corruption instead he has been blamed for getting the machineries shifted from one place to another.
He said the court was requested to adjourn the hearing until the decision of the two accused of this case under hearing in Lahore High Court.
He contended that a reference could only be filed in the accountability court after the decision of the Lahore High Court, adding that only then could the former premier be indicted. Ashraf, who served as premier between June 22, 2012 and March 25, 2013, is accused of receiving kickbacks and commissions from nine rental power project firms for awarding contracts for setting up their projects in 2008 to overcome electricity crisis in the country.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has been investigating 12 RPP cases in which nine firms reportedly received more than Rs 22 billion as mobilisation advance from the government to commission the projects, but most of them were accused of failing to set up plants. The bureau had already recovered Rs 13 billion in the case. (PTI)
