LAHORE: An accountability court on Wednesday allowed one-time exemption to former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf from personal appearance in proceedings against him on charges of making illegal appointments in Gujranwala Electric Power Company (Gepco).

Advocate Iftikhar Shahid filed an application on behalf of Mr Ashraf for exemption from personal appearance in the court citing bad health of his client.

Judge Syed Najamul Hassan allowed the application of Mr Ashraf and summoned investigating officer of the case for cross examination on Dec 17.

Earlier, the counsel for the former premier completed cross examination of fifth and last prosecution witnesses presented by the NAB.

The NAB accused Mr Ashraf of making illegal appointments in Gepco during his stint as federal minister for water and power. It said the former prime minister misused his powers and appointed 437 people in Gepco from his electoral constituency without any merit.

Former secretary water and power Shahid Rafi, former directors of Gepco’s boards of governors including Saleem Arif, Malik Muhammad Razi Abbas and Wazir Ali were also involved in the same reference filed in 2016.

AHAD CHEEMA: An accountability court extended till Dec 20 judicial remand of Lahore Development Authority’s former director general Ahad Khan Cheema in Ashiana scam.

The NAB had arrested Cheema on Feb 21, 2018, on charges of misusing his authority with criminal intent and awarding Rs14 billion contracts of Ashiana-i-Iqbal housing scheme.

Published in Dawn, December 6th, 2018

Opinion

Editorial

Trump 2.0
Updated 07 Nov, 2024

Trump 2.0

It remains to be seen how his promises to bring ‘peace’ to Middle East reconcile with his blatantly pro-Israel bias.
Fait accompli
07 Nov, 2024

Fait accompli

A SLEW of secretively conceived and hastily enacted legislation has achieved its intended result: the powers of the...
IPP contracts
07 Nov, 2024

IPP contracts

THE government expects the ongoing ‘negotiations’ with power producers aimed at revising the terms of sovereign...
Rushed legislation
Updated 06 Nov, 2024

Rushed legislation

For all its stress on "supremacy of parliament", the ruling coalition has wasted no opportunity to reiterate where its allegiances truly lie.
Jail reform policy
06 Nov, 2024

Jail reform policy

THE state is making a fresh attempt to improve conditions in Pakistan’s penitentiaries by developing a national...
BISP overhaul
06 Nov, 2024

BISP overhaul

IT has emerged that the spouses of over 28,500 Sindh government employees have been illicitly benefiting from BISP....