ISLAMABAD: The former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf failed to appear before National Accountability Bureau (NAB) investigators in relation to the Rs22 billion Rental Power Projects (RPPs) scam on Tuesday, DawnNews reported.

Ashraf informed NAB in a written reply that due to his illness he would not be able to appear before investigators.

Earlier, the bureau had summoned the former premier, who is among the accused in the RPP case, on Tuesday to record his statement in the scam.

According to media reports, the name of former prime minister, who has been defeated in his home constituency, has been put on the Exit Control List (ECL) after he allegedly tried to leave the country along with members of his family. But the reports have not been confirmed by NAB.

“It is yet to be confirmed whether his name has been put on the ECL,” NAB’s spokesman Ramzan Sajid told Dawn on Monday.

In the RPP scam, nine firms were accused of receiving more than Rs22 billion as mobilisation advance from the government to commission the projects, but most of them did not set up their plants and a few which installed some plants after an inordinate delay. Of the total recoverable amount of Rs22 billion, NAB has so far recovered Rs5 billion, in addition to Rs8 billion paid by the firms on the directives of the Supreme Court.

It has been learnt that NAB has decided to file a reference against the accused, including the former prime minister, three former federal ministers and four former federal secretaries.

“As per directives of the Supreme Court, NAB has to file the reference on the RPP scam before May 27,” said a senior NAB officer who did not want to be named.

He confirmed that the reference was being submitted against 16 accused.