ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Friday reserved its decision on a plea of former law minister and Pakistan Tehreek-i-Insaf leader Dr Babar Awan seeking his acquittal in the Nandipur power project reference.

Accountability court judge Mohammad Arshad Malik will announce the order on the application filed by Mr Awan under Section 265-K of the Criminal Procedure Code on April 30.

Mr Awan, who has concluded his arguments on the acquittal plea, contended before the court that the summaries were moved to the law ministry before he assumed the law portfolio.

He said that the prosecution had presented the entire record related to the case in nine volumes, while the key witnesses from the ministries of energy and law and justice and the cabinet division had recorded testimonies.

Accountability court judge will issue the order on April 30

He claimed that there was not an iota of evidence that would connect him with any delay or negligence in the Nandipur project. No summary had been kept pending before Mr Awan; instead there was only a letter from the Pakistan Electric Power Company (Pepco), whereas according to Rules of Business, Pepco was not supposed to write the letter to the law ministry directly, but through the controlling ministry which was the water and power division, the application stated.

Mr Awan said the law ministry did not accord any approval even after he resigned as law minister. According to him, a minister is not supposed to approve or forward the summary as it is the job of the secretary of law and justice division. He claimed that the reference itself never blamed anywhere for committing any criminal offence.

The NAB prosecutor, on the other hand, opposed the acquittal of Dr Awan, saying that the reference against the former law minister as well as against other six accused had been filed after a through probe and consultation with the law ministry.

Published in Dawn, April 27th, 2019