ISLAMABAD, Jan. 17 (Xinhua) -- Pakistan Supreme Court on Thursday adjourned till Jan. 23 hearing of a corruption case against the incumbent Prime Minister, Raja Pervez Ashraf, in which the apex court has already ordered his arrest, local media reported.
The Supreme Court on Tuesday ordered the country's anti- corruption body to arrest the prime minister and 15 other people in 24 hours who were accused of taking kickbacks in purchasing Rental Power Projects (RPPs) when Ashraf was the minister for water and power in the present government.
The three-member bench of the Supreme Court headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhary had ordered the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), to arrest the prime minister and submit a report on Thursday.
However, the NAB refused to arrest the prime minister on the plea that its own investigation report in the corruption case was flawed and that evidence is not enough to arrest him.
The NAB chief, Fasih Bukhari, told the apex court that the bureau's inquiry report earlier submitted to the Supreme Court in the RPP case as inaccurate.
The court had ordered the arrest of Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf after reviewing the two investigation reports submitted by NAB. But, during Thursday's hearing, NAB chairman claimed that the reports did not have the complete record of the case.
Bokhari also said that the investigation officers had worked in a hurry and did not provide proofs in their reports.
The Chief Justice observed during the hearing that the court had issued the order for all those accused in the case and not just for Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf. He said that NAB authorities needed to justify as to why the court's directives had not been implemented.
"Why could there be no record against the accused and why had no arrests been made," the chief justice asked the NAB authorities.
He added that implementation of the court's ruling in the case had been in pending since March 2012, adding that the NAB chief had also been issued a notice for contempt of court.
Legal experts are of the view that despite the arrest orders the prime minister can continue his duties unless he is convicted.
The apex court in its earlier verdict in March last year had observed that the rules and regulations were violated in these projects due to which the national exchequer witnessed losses of billions.
The Supreme Court has declared the RPPs as illegal and also ordered them to be shut down.
The Supreme Court had in the last year verdict ordered to initiate proceedings against the former Water and Power Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf and all others involved in the case. However, the country's anti-corruption panel had not carried out required investigation despite the orders.
Pervez Ashraf had been in the Prime Minister's house since his arrest orders had been issued and he performed his professional duties. He consulted party leaders and legal experts on Thursday, the PM office said.
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