ISLAMABAD: The National Accounta­bility Bureau (NAB) on Friday gave an undertaking to an accountability court to complete the inquiry against former finance minister Miftah Ismail in the next 14 days.

Acting judge of the accountability court Raja Jawad Abbas Hassan, on the assurance of the NAB investigation officer, extended the remand of Mr Ismail till Sept 12.

NAB produced Mr Ismail before judge Hassan, seeking extension of Mr Ismail’s physical remand for another 14 days.

The NAB prosecutor, Sohail Arif, argued before the court that the investigation team required his custody for further probe in connection with “inquiry against authorities including minister for petroleum and natural resources concerned secretary and others regarding the illegal award of LNG Terminal-1 contract to Engro Energy Terminal Private Limited”.

The prosecutor further said that a co-accused, PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, had also been remanded to NAB for investigation into the same case.

Mr Ismail’s counsel, Haider Waheed, opposed the extension of his client’s judicial remand. He said that it had been a month since Mr Miftah had been in the custody of NAB and there was no progress at all in the investigation against him.

Court extends remand of former finance minister till Sept 12

He said that the investigation officer had told him that there were some people who might record their statements in connection with the inquiry and the bureau needed Mr Ismail’s custody for some more days.

The counsel said that NAB had curtailed the liberty of a citizen on the assumption that the so-called witnesses might testify against Mr Ismail which was against fundamental rights.

When the judge inquired this from the NAB investigation officer, he said that some directors of the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) had contacted the bureau and they had consented to cooperate with the investigation team on the matter. He said that none of the SSGC directors later appeared before the investigation team.

The NAB investigator, however, assured the court that he would complete the investigation from Mr Ismail by the expiry of the 14-day physical remand.

After the expiry of the remand, the judge would send Mr Ismail to jail on judicial remand which would enable him to file the post-arrest bail petition as during the physical remand an accused could not apply for a bail.

Likewise, judge Hassan also extended the remand of Sheikh Imran ul Haq, a former managing director of the Pakistan State Oil (PSO).

Salman Akram Raja, the counsel for Mr Haq, argued that his client had no role in the award of the contract. He said that Mr Haq had only floated an advertisement seeking bids for the project.

He said that 62-year-old Haq had been deprived of a meeting with his family, especially his 85-year-old mother.

When the judge sought an undertaking from the investigation officer regarding completion of the inquiry within 14 days, the latter said that he would try to conclude the investigation, but expressed possibility that it might take more time.

Mr Raja requested the court to direct NAB to facilitate a meeting between Mr Haq and his family members as well as lawyers.

The court issued directives in this regard and extended his remand for 14 days.

Published in Dawn, August 31st, 2019