 "Pakistan anti-graft court indicts ex-PM Ashraf, 8 others in hiring scam")
An accountability court in Pakistan on Tuesday indicted former Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and eight others in a case related to illegal recruitment in the Gujranwala Electric Power Company (Gepco).
According to the National Accountability Bureau, Ashraf recruited as many as 437 people without taking merit into consideration.
The court has summoned witnesses to record their statements. Ashraf while speaking to the media rejected all charges filed by the NAB, Geo TV reported.
Along with the Gepco scam, Ashraf was already indicted by another accountability court in Islamabad in the rental power case. All accused, including the former federal mister for water and power, pleaded not guilty.
Ashraf is accused of misusing his authority during his tenure as minister to get approval from the Economic Coordination Committee for an increase in the down payment to the rental power companies from 7 per cent to 14 per cent, amounting to about Rs 22 billion.