ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) approved on Friday two more references against former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf in the rental power projects (RPP) corruption case.

Mr Ashraf already faces a reference in the RPP scandal.

According to NAB spokesman Hafiz Mohammad Irfan, the bureau’s executive board had decided to file three references against the PPP leader. However, it approved two references — Piranghaib, Multan, and Techno Engineering Services (Pvt) Ltd Sahuwal, Sialkot — for alleged corruption, corrupt practices and misuse of authority in award of the RPP contracts.

Sources in NAB told Dawn that besides Mr Ashraf, names of some prominent personalities, including former federal minister Shaukat Tareen, former federal secretary Shahid Rafi, Rana Amjad and Salman Siddique, had also been included in the new references.

They said the two RPPs had caused a cumulative loss of $60 million to the exchequer.

NAB is investigating 12 cases relating to the RPPs and Naudero-II was the first reference filed in the accountability court.