NAB acquits Shahid Rafi after reimbursement of bribe money: sources
ISLAMABAD (92 News) – The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) acquitted former Water and Power Secretary Shahid Rafi after reimbursement of bribe money in Karkey rental power plant case.
According to the sources, Shahid Rafi expressed willingness to return the money of bribe in the rental power case. He also confessed to take kickbacks.
The former secretary returned the money of bribe amounting two billion rupees and the corruption watchdog body acquitted him.
Earlier, Shahid Rafi promised to be an approver for the NAB whereas Laeeq Ahmed confessed on Friday about taking a million dirham bribe in the Karkey rental power plant case.
There has been a major progress in rental power case as former Water and Power secretary agreed to testify against former premier Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and son of Azad Kashmir’s former President Babar Zulqarnain in the scandal.
It is pertinent to mention here that Shahid Rafi said he is ready to provide all the facts in his testimony. NAB chairman Javed Iqbal approved his request to be an approver, as per reported by NAB investigation officer.
On the other hand, Cannock Global Enterprises Limited Director Laeeq Ahmed Sheikh admitted about taking a million dirham bribe in the scandal. NAB said that suspect Laeeq received the money from Babar Zulqarnain through his daughter.
Ex-federal secretary Shahid Rafi remanded in NAB custody until April 22
An accountability court approved the physical remand of former federal secretary Shahid Rafi until April 22 in the Karkey rental power case. The NAB officials also recovered important documents about the scandal.
M/s Karkey had set up a 332 ship-mounted Rental Power Project (RPP) at Port Qasim Karachi pursuant to Rental Power Policy 2008, announced by the then government of Pakistan (GoP). M/s Karkey entered into Rental Services Contract (RSC) on April 23, 2009 for generation of electric power with the Lakhra Power Generation Company Limited (LPGCL). Pursuant to the terms of the RSC, the GoP issued a sovereign guarantee to secure payment obligations of LPGCL and Karkey achieved commercial operations in April 2011.
In the meanwhile, the Supreme Court in exercise of its original jurisdiction initiated suo motu proceedings against RPPs and through its detailed judgement of March 30, 2012, declared all RSCs void ab initio being illegal and against the public policy. The Supreme Court had also directed that National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to carry out investigation under the NAB Ordinance 1999.
