ISLAMABAD: The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has decided to file a supplementary reference in the LNG terminal case and sought time from the accountability court to do so.
The accountability judge, Mohammad Azam Khan, resumed hearing of the reference filed by NAB against former prime minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz legislator Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former finance minister Miftah Ismail and others.
The NAB prosecution informed the court that a supplementary reference in this case is being readied which will be filed soon. The NAB prosecutor sought time from the court for filing of the supplementary reference.
NAB in December last year filed a reference in the accountability court against Mr Abbasi, Mr Ismail, former managing director of the Pakistan State Oil (PSO) Sheikh Imranul Haq, former chairman of Ogra Saeed Ahmed Khan, Ogra chairperson Uzma Adil Khan, Engro group chairman Hussain Dawood, former chairman of the Port Qasim Authority (PQA) Agha Jan Akhtar, former member of Ogra Aamir Naseem, another former managing director of PSO Shahid M. Islam and PSO official Abdul Sammad.
The prosecution informed the court that non-bailable arrest warrants against PSO’s former MD Islam could not be executed since his whereabouts were not known. NAB requested the court to declare him a proclaimed offender. The court noted the arguments and put off further proceedings till April 1.
The reference filed by the anti-graft watchdog in the accountability court stated that one LNG company had received benefits of over Rs21 billion because of the contract. The reference further said the national exchequer would suffer a Rs47 billion loss by 2029 if the contract in question continued.
Mr Abbasi was arrested in connection with the case in July. He is accused of awarding a 15-year contract for an LNG terminal allegedly against rules when he was petroleum minister in former prime minister Nawaz Sharif’s cabinet. The case was closed by NAB in 2016, but reopened in 2018.
The Islamabad High Court (IHC) has granted post arrest bail to Mr Abbasi, Mr Ismail and PSO’s ex-MD Haq.
Published in Dawn, March 10th, 2020