ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has filed two more references against former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, raising the number of such cases to 10.

“We have recently filed two more references against Raja Pervez Ashraf in connection with the rental power projects (RPPs),” NAB spokesman Nawazish Ali said on Friday.

He said the fresh references were related to the Samundri and Naudero-II projects.

Also read: NAB court sends PPP MPA to prison

Sources said the Islamabad Accountability Court had served notices on the former prime minister, seeking his reply about the new references.

The references against the senior PPP leader have been filed at a time when his party has accused the ruling PML-N of victimising political opponents by misusing the judicial process.

Earlier, Mr Ashraf had been facing references based on allegations related to the other RPPs, appointment of Tauqeer Sadiq as chief of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority in 2009 and appointment of his son-in-law Azeemul Haq to a World Bank position in violation of rules and regulations.

Former PPP prime minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has also been facing NAB cases.

The bureau is investigating several cases involving the RPPs. Nine firms had won contracts to install projects to overcome electricity shortage in 2008 when Mr Ashraf was the minister for water and power.

The firms reportedly received over Rs22 billion as mobilisation advance to commission the projects but most of them were accused of not setting up their plants. Some of them installed the plants after an inordinate delay.

Published in Dawn, September 12th, 2015

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