ISLAMABAD, May 12: A two-member Supreme Court bench on Thursday stayed a Lahore accountability court, for a week, from announcing its verdict against PPP secretary-general Jehangir Badr in a corruption reference. Comprising Chief Justice Nazim Husain Siddiqui and Justice Abdul Hameed Dogar, the bench also summoned NAB Prosecutor General Irfan Qadir for May 19.

“Till that period the accountability court shall not announce the judgment,” the bench ruled.

Mr Badr had moved an urgent application on Wednesday seeking a restraining order against the accountability court from announcing its verdict on a NAB reference, till the adjudication of his appeal before the apex court.

Senator Latif Khosa pleaded before the court that it was the right of his client to see complete record of the case under Section 14 of the NAB Ordinance, which was being denied.

Mr Badr had challenged a LHC order which dismissed his request to see relevant records of the petroleum ministry on the basis of which NAB had filed the corruption reference.

The PPP secretary general was accused of making illegal appointments in different government departments, issuing illegal license of petrol outlets and facilitating in irregular payments to some contractors as a petroleum minister during the first term of Benazir Bhutto. He was indicted by the accountability court on November 22, 2001.

During hearing in the accountability court, he filed an application seeking complete record of the ministry on the grounds that he had doubts on the authenticity of the record produced by prosecution. However the request was denied on April 18. He then challenged the order before the high court, which also upheld trial court’s decision after which he filed an appeal before the Supreme Court against the high court decision.