LAHORE, May 29: An Ehtesab bench of the Lahore High Court on Thursday fixed June 12 for the arguments of NAB’s counsel on a petition of former provincial minister Mushtaq Ahmad Awan of the PPP for bail in a NAB reference, as the petitioner’s counsel had completed his arguments.

In this reference, Mr Awan is accused of awarding the contract for collection of goods’ exit tax to a company after a sham auction for Rs420 million while another contractor had already made a Rs620 million bid for the contract.

The petitioner’s counsel submitted that there was nothing on record to suggest that his client was a stakeholder in the tax-collection contract, which had been approved with the consent of the Lahore Zila Council administrator and the then provincial minister for transport.

“This is not a case of state funds’ embezzlement. Nor has the petitioner committed any irregularity in the award of the contract” the counsel argued, adding that his client had nothing to do with the auction, as the contract money was to be collected by the Zila council and not by the petitioner in his personal capacity.

While refuting the allegation of a faulty award of contract, Mr Khosa argued that there was a provision in the terms of contract that in case of the revocation of the highest bid and the award of contract to another bidder, the person making the highest bid would be responsible for paying the differential to the state.

“In this case, Abdul Qayyum, who had made the highest bid of Rs620 is to be held responsible for paying off the Rs200 million differential following the cancellation of his bid,” the counsel claimed.

The counsel contended that the petitioner had already served nine years in jail and deserved bail. He further argued that the petitioner was suffering from acute spinal and diabetic problems and had also developed a complex liver problem in jail.

“The petitioner is not an ordinary person. He is a former provincial minister and assures the court that he would not abscond from the trial proceedings following the grant of bail,” the counsel claimed.