Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah Acquitted in Nooriabad Power Project Case

An accountability court has acquitted Sindh Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah and several others in the Nooriabad Power Project reference.

The ruling, delivered on Tuesday by Accountability Judge Nasir Javed Rana, followed an application from the Chairman of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) seeking to withdraw the reference.

Barrister Qasim Nawaz Abbasi represented the accused in court. CM Shah had previously challenged the reference and sought his acquittal, arguing that the project’s approval was granted by the provincial government, which meant a case of abuse of authority could not be established against him.

Shah faced allegations of misusing power in the disbursement of funds for energy-related projects in Sindh. NAB had accused him of embezzling public funds worth billions linked to the Nooriabad Power Company and the Sindh Transmission and Dispatch Company. He was one of 17 individuals named in the graft reference.