ISLAMABAD: Former interior minister Ahsan Iqbal has sought acquittal in the Narowal Sports Complex (NSC) reference on the basis of the judgement that exonerated Adviser to the Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Dr Babar Awan in Nandipur corruption case.
Counsel for Mr Iqbal, Zulfiqar Abbasi Naqvi, on Wednesday argued before the accountability court that Islamabad High Court (IHC) had recently issued a detailed judgement in Nandipur Power Project reference.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on March 18, 2018 had filed the reference against Babar Awan, former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf, ex-law secretaries retired Justice Riaz Kiani, Masood Chishti and others for delaying the project which led to its price escalation.
IHC upholds Babar Awan’s acquittal in Nandipur case
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January 13, 2021
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday upheld acquittal of Adviser to Prime Minister on Parliamentary Affairs Babar Awan and retired Justice Riaz Kiani in the Nandipur power plant corruption reference.
A two-judge bench, headed by Chief Justice Athar Minallah, dismissed the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) appeals challenging an accountability court’s June 25, 2019 verdict of acquitting them in the case, a private news channel reported.
The bench set aside the trial court’s verdict that dismissed an acquittal plea of former law secretary Masood Chishti, who is named as accused in the case, and exonerated him from all charges.
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January 13, 2021
ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday dismissed the appeals of National Accountability Bureau (NAB) against acquittal of Adviser to the Prime Minister Babar Awan in the Nandipur Power Project case and upheld a decision of a trial court.
A division bench of the IHC also overturned the trial court’s decision to reject an acquittal plea of former secretary Masood Chishti.
The bench, comprising Chief Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Babar Sattar conducted a hearing on NAB’s appeals against the acquittal of Adviser to the Prime Minister Babar Awan and former secretary Riaz Kiyani in the Nandipur reference. The verdict was reserved on October 5, after listening arguments from both sides. Accountability Court Judge Arshad Malik had acquitted Awan and Kiayni on June 25 last year, and dismissed the acquittal plea of Masood Chishti in Nandipur case. NAB had challenged the acquittal of the accused before the IHC.
The Islamabad High Court rejected a reference against Prime Minister Imran Khan’s adviser Dr Babar Awan (left) and former premier Raja Pervez Ashraf. Photos Dawn Archives
ISLAMABAD: Highlighting paralysis of system of governance due to bureaucratic machinations, the Islamabad High Court (IHC) on Tuesday rejected the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) Nandipur reference against Prime Minister Imran Khan’s adviser Dr Babar Awan and former premier Raja Pervez Ashraf, terming it arbitrary.
“It is in the public interest to protect the governance system from arbitrary exercise or abuse of powers vested in the Bureau,” ruled the IHC while disposing of the petitions relating to the reference.