Lahore (Staff Report/Agencies): An accountability court in Lahore on Monday acquitted former premier Raja Pervez Ashraf and others in a case pertaining to illegal appointments in the Gujranwala Electric Power Company (Gepco).
The reference, filed by the anti-graft watchdog in 2016, accused Ashraf of misusing his powers by appointing 437 people in Gepco without merit during his stint as federal minister for water and power.
Former secretary water and power Shahid Rafi, former Gepco board of governors including Saleem Arif, Malik Muhammad Razi Abbas and Wazir Ali were also accused in the case.
In December 2019, President Dr Arif Alvi promulgated the NAB (Amendment) Ordinance 2019 in a move to limit the sweeping powers of the anti-corruption watchdog to act against any individual accused of financial corruption at will.
