Pak court indicts former prime minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf in corruption case

An anti-corruption court in Pakistan on Monday indicted former prime minister and senior opposition leader Raja Pervaiz Ashraf in a corruption case. The case is about the misuse of authority in the construction of Rental Power Plants in the country to fulfil energy shortage when Ashraf was minister for water and power during 2008-2011.

He is accused of causing a loss of Rs 2,200 crore to the country by using his authority to increase down payment to two companies from 7 to 14 per cent. The accountability court indicted 68-year-old Ashraf and adjourned the hearing till August 7 when the recording of statements of witnesses would start.

Ashraf also faces another case of corruption in the Nandipur power plant and his plea for acquittal was dismissed last week. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had named a total of seven accused, five of whom had earlier filed bail pleas, in the case pertaining to delay in execution of the Nandipur Power Plant Project which caused a loss of Rs 2,700 crore to the national exchequer.

Ashraf, a high-ranking Pakistan Peoples Party leader, became prime minister in June 2012 after premier Yusuf Raza Gilani was disqualified over contempt of court charges. He is currently a member of parliament from a constituency in Rawalpindi.