An accountability court on Friday issued bailable arrest warrants of former prime minister Raja Pervez Ashraf in case of making illegal appointments in Gujranwala Electric Power Company (Gepco). Earlier, the counsel of Pervez Ashraf appeared before the court and stated that his client was unable to travel to Lahore due to bad health. He asked the court to accept application of one-time exemption from personal hearing.

A NAB prosecutor, however, opposed the application and pointed out that the suspect had been absent on so many hearings. He said the trial was in its last stage and the suspect had been avoiding appearance. The court dismissed the application and issued bailable arrest warrants of Pervez Ashraf directing him to ensure appearance on September 18. The NAB accused Pervez Ashraf of making illegal 437 appointments in the Gepco during his tenure as federal minister for water and power.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019