Nandipur case: Babar Awan acquitted by Accountability court, Pervaiz’s plea rejected

An accountability court on Tuesday acquitted former law minister Dr Babar Awan and former secretary law Justice (retd) Riaz Kiyani in the Nandipur power plant corruption reference which had been filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) last year.

The same court, however, dismissed the acquittal plea of former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Riaz Mehmood, and Shumaila Mehmood. They were accused of delaying the approval of the Nandipur project, which resulted in losses worth billions of rupees to the national kitty.

Accountability Court Judge Arshad Malik announced the verdict. Of all the seven accused in the case, five had sought acquittal, while the remaining two accused – Shahid Rafi and Masood Chishti – never filed any such pleas.

The court has ordered the top graft buster to present witnesses against five accused, including Raja Pervez Ashraf.