ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court on Monday noted that Karkay rental power company owed Rs11 billion in outstanding payments and directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to recover the amount.
A three-member bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Gulzar Ahmed and Justice Sheikh Azmat Saeed observed that NAB chairman will be accountable if the ship carrying Karkay rental power plant had left Pakistan without paying its dues.
During the hearing, a statement signed by NAB's chairman Admiral (r) Fasih Bokhari and director-general Shehzad Akbar Bhatti was also submitted in the court, in which it was admitted that Rs11 billion were payable against Karkay power company.
At the previous hearing, NAB had contended that $1.72 billion were payable against Karkay power company. The chief justice noted that there was a huge difference between the last and current statement of NAB on the money Karkay power company owed the exchequer.
"If any change is brought in the sum of amount payable against Karkay or the Karkay ship leaves Pakistan's waters without paying due amount, the NAB chairman will be responsible", the chief justice observed.
Prosecutor General NAB KK Agha told the court that the Karkay ship was still present in Pakistan's territory. He added that several notices have already been issued to Karkay power company, however no one has responded.
Disposing of the plea of Faisal Saleh Hayat in rental power case, the court directed NAB to recover all outstanding amounts against Karkay and then allow its ship to leave the country.
COMMENTS (4)
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With Raja as our PM, Rental Power should not be a problem.
If the contract provides for international arbitration the Turkish owners should just pay the dues get the ship returned and sue Pakistan just like the Reko Diq affair. I suspect the owners believe that paying the dues won't get the ship released.
At least the Supreme Court is watching the interest of Pakistan !!