ISLAMABAD: An accountability court issued its summons on Monday to all nominated persons in the next hearing of the rental power projects case, DawnNews reported.

Accountability court Judge Muhammad Bashir heard the Rental Power reference case during which former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf’s lawyer Amjad Iqbal appeared before the court.

The court did not proceed with indictment of the accused due to their absence.

Subsequently, the court ordered the suspects’ to appear in the next hearing of the case which was adjourned until April 9.

Ashraf is accused of misusing his authority in capacity as water and power minister (from March 2008 to February 2011) and awarding the project to some parties in violation of procurement rules.

NAB has been investigating 12 RPPs cases in which nine firms reportedly received more than Rs22 billion as mobilisation advance from the government to commission the projects, but most of them were accused of failing to set up plants.

The bureau has already recovered Rs13 billion in the case.