ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Court on Wednesday observed that acquittal application of all the accused of Rental Power Plant (RPP) case (Sumandri and Rato Dero projects) against former Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and others will be decided together after counsels of all the accused in the case complete their arguments.

Accountability Court–III judge Syed Asghar Ali while hearing the case till May 24 after Ashraf’s counsel Arshad Tabrez advocate completed his arguments with the respect to acquittal application of his client filed by him under the National Accountability (second and third amendment) Ordinances, 2021.

Tabrez argued before the court that different accused have been acquitted by various courts in similar cases of misuse of authority or misuse of power; therefore, his client be also acquitted. The court after completion of arguments of Tabrez observed that the acquittal applications will be decided after the counsels of all the accused complete their arguments.

The bureau had filed 12 RPP references including the Turkish ship-mounted power plant (Karkey), Piranghaib Power Plant, Multan, Sahiwal Power Plant, Guddu Power Plant in Sindh, Naudero-I Power Plant in Sindh, Naudero-II Power Plant in Sindh, Reshma Power Generation in Raiwind, Young Gen Power Ltd, Bhikki, Gulf Rental Power (Pvt) Ltd, 150MW Sharaqpur RPP, and Gujranwala Electric Power Company (Gepco).

Out of the 12 cases, the Accountability Court, Islamabad, has acquitted Ashraf and others in two cases, Multan, Sahiwal power plant and Piranghaib power plant, while the Accountability Court, Lahore, acquitted Ashraf and others in the Gepco case.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2022