ISLAMABAD, September 18: : An accountability court on Tuesday directed former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) leader, Dr Babar Awan, to submit a surety bond of Rs0.2 million in the Nandipur Power Project case.
During a short hearing, in which both defendants were present, the court approved Ashraf and Awan’s bail and directed them to submit a surety bond.
The hearing was then adjourned till October 2.
Speaking to media after the hearing, Ashraf said, “I am surprised to find my name linked to this case. The case against me is baseless.”
Further, the former prime minister said, “I came to know about the facts of the case after reading the case report by SC Judge Rehmat Hussain Jaffery. Our lawyers will take the case up in Supreme Court.” The Nandipur power project was approved by the Economic Coordination Committee (ECC) of the cabinet on December 27, 2007, at a cost $329 million. Its contract was signed on January 28, 2008, between the Northern Power Generation Company Limited (NPGCL) and Dong Fang Electric Corporation of China and two consortiums – COFACE for 68.967 million euros and SINOSURE for $150.151m – were established for financing the project. The case was initiated after the Supreme Court restored the 2011 petition filed by former defence minister Khawaja Asif regarding corruption in the Nandipur project. – Agencies
