An accountability court in Lahore on Monday acquitted Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) ex-MPA Raja Qamar-ul-Islam and 15 others in Saaf Pani reference.

Judge Sajid Ali Awan announced the verdict after Raja Qamar ul Islam, Waseem Ajmal, Col (retd) Tahir Maqbool, Major (retd) Muhammad Khalid Khan and Masroor Ahmed had filed the petitions seeking acquittal in the reference.

According to Dawn, besides Islam, Punjab Saaf Pani Company's (PSPC) chief executive officer Wasim Ajmal, former PSPC chief technical officer Dr Zaheeruddin, former PSPC chief procurement officer Nasir Qadir Bhadal, former consultant engineer Saleem Akhtar, former KSB Pumps managing director Masud Akhtar, former housing deputy secretaries Khalid Nadeem Bukhari and Zahoor Ahmad Dogar, former PSPC chief resident engineer Major (retd) Adnan Aftab Khan, former PSPC resident engineers Moeenuddin, Syed Masoudul Hassan Kazmi and Muhammad Younas, former PSPC projects works manager Waris Malik, former senior contract engineer at Engineering General Consultants Masroor Ahmad, former PSPC Bahawalpur director Khalid Khan and former PSPC general projects and services manager Tahir Maqbool have been acquitted in the reference.

In December 2018, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed a reference against 20 officials, including the prime suspect, Islam and former chief executive officer Ajmal.

The accountability watchdog had accused the suspects of awarding contracts at exorbitant rates and inflicting a loss of Rs345.282 million to the national treasury.

The NAB said it initiated investigation against the management and officials of PSPC south and others in August 2018. The investigation revealed that a contract was awarded to KSB Pumps for installation of 82 water filtration plants on exorbitant rates, it added.

Earlier this month, the court had declared Leader of the Opposition and president PML-N Shehbaz Sharif's daughter Rabia and son-in-law Imran Ali Yousaf as fugitives and issued orders for confiscating their property.