LAHORE, March 31: An accountability court on Monday dismissed PPP Secretary-General Jehangir Badar’s bail application moved in a corruption reference.

The accused pleaded in the court that he should be granted bail because the prosecution had failed to conclude the trial within one month as directed by the Supreme Court.

Last month, the SC had disposed of Badar’s bail application with the directions to the NAB authorities to conclude the trial within a month. In case of the prosecution’s failure, the accused would be declared eligible for availing himself of release on bail from the court, the SC ruled.

The trial court, however, dismissed the application with an observation that “the conduct of the accused did not warrant the grant of bail.” The accused did not cooperate with the prosecution to enable it to conclude the trial timely and, therefore, he was not entitled to such relief, the court observed. Further proceedings will resume on the next hearing when the testimony of the last prosecution witness will be recorded by the court.

Mr Badar is accused of directing the managing directors of the Sui Northern Gas Pipeline Limited, Sui Southern Gas Company, Oil and Gas Development Corpor-ation and the Pakistan State Oil, as federal minister for petroleum and natural resources, to recruit 99, 74, nine and 23 people, respectively, violating the rules.

He is also accused of rules’ violation by asking the PSO managing director to install 61 petrol pumps. He allegedly issued 11 and 21 Liquefying Petroleum Gas licenses illegally to different people on the SNGPL and the SSGC, respectively, and issued orders for enlisting 97 home pipeline contractors in the SNGPL.

Besides, Mr Badar allegedly failed to exercise his authority as minister in stopping the grant of undue benefit of Rs8 million in favour of Messrs Amin Brothers.