Raja Pervez Ashraf discharged in Karkey rental power case

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Tuesday discharged former Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf in Karkey rental power case.

Accountability court in Islamabad announced verdicts on three NAB references related to rental power projects.

The court discharged Raja Pervez Ashraf and eleven other accused individuals named in the Karkey case, which had been filed over eleven years ago.

The Karkey case involves corruption worth Rs 22 billion. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) filed the rental power references in 2014, accusing Ashraf of misusing his authority as water and power minister to secure financial benefits for the project.

Additionally, the NAB court cleared six other accused individuals, including a former chairman of the Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA), in the Bakhi Power Project Sheikhupura reference, valued at Rs 96 billion. The court also discharged all accused in the Sharaqpur Rental Power Plant case.

Judge Muhammad Ali Waraich of NAB Court II delivered all three verdicts.

In 2019, International Centre for Settlement of Investment Disputes (ICSID) ordered Pakistan to pay damages along with interest to Karkey Karadeniz Elektrik Uretim, the Turkish ship-based energy firm. The company had filed arbitration claims under the Bilateral Investment Treaty.

However, Prime Minister Imran Khan’s government had resolved the Karkey dispute with the help of Turkish President Erdogan, ultimately saving Pakistan from penalties worth $1.2 billion imposed by ICSID.

Earlier in 2020, An accountability court acquitted former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, former finance minister Shaukat Tareen and other accused in the Piraghaib Rental Power reference.

Judge Muhammad Bashir announced his verdict on applications of the former premier and others seeking acquittal in the case.

Other accused whose acquittal pleas were approved included Shaukat Tareen, Ismail Qureshi, Shahid Rafi, Tahir Basharat Cheema, Muhammad Saleem Arif, Chaudhry Abdul Qadreer, and Iqbal Ali Shah.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed the Piraghaib Rental Power reference in 2014, accusing Raja Pervez Ashraf of misusing his powers in his capacity as water and power minister to gain financial benefits in the project.