Former PM Abbasi sent on 13-day physical remand
Miftah Ismail, ex-PSO MD Haq granted pre-arrest bail till seven days against surety of Rs500,000 each
PHOTO: AFP/FILE
ISLAMABAD/KARACHI:
An accountability court in Islamabad on Friday granted the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) 13-day physical remand of former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) corruption case.
The Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) leader will be presented before the court on August 1.
NAB arrested Abbasi on Thursday in a mega corruption case pertaining to the award of LNG import contract.
Abbasi, a member of the legislature, had his vehicle intercepted by a NAB team at the Thokar Niaz Baig motorway interchange, while he, along with fellow PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal and party spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, was on his way to attend a press conference.
The bureau is investigating alleged corruption in the award of a contract to import LNG from Qatar by Abbasi when he was minister for petroleum and natural resources in the cabinet of former premier Nawaz Sharif.
According to NAB arrest warrant, Abbasi is accused of commission of the offence of corruption and corrupt practices under Section 9 (a) of National Accountability Ordinance, 1999. Abbasi is facing the accusation of handing over a tender worth Rs220 billion to a company in which he was a shareholder himself.
Abbasi is the principal accused in the case that dates back to 2015. It was registered on the complaint of a former member of the Planning Commission along with others, who accused Abbasi of misusing his authority and causing a potential $2 billion loss to the national exchequer in 15 years.
Ismail granted pre-arrest bail
Fearing possible arrest by NAB, former finance minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Miftah Ismail and former Pakistan State Oil (PSO) managing director Imranul Haq reached Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday for pre-arrest bail.
The SHC bench, headed by Justice Iqbal Kalhoro, granted the pre-arrest bail to Ismail and Haq till seven days against the surety of Rs500,000 each.
The bench stopped the NAB officials from arresting Ismail and Haq and also directed both applicants to cooperate with NAB officials in investigation.
However, Ismail refused to leave the court room till getting written order of the bail.
"The government is using fascist tactics against opponents. I will not leave the court room till receiving the written court order," he said
As NAB Chairman Javed Iqbal signed arrest warrants of Miftah on Thursday and formed teams in Karachi and Islamabad to take the former finance minister into custody, the PML-N leader along with former PSO MD approached SHC and submitted an application seeking pre-arrest bail.
Ismail reached the courtroom after submitting the bail application. Later, the court approved their pleas.
The NAB teams on (Thursday) conducted raids at Ismail residences in Karachi and Islamabad for arrest of Ismail.
Talking to media outside the court, the PML-N leader said there was no need for NAB to carry out raids. He said he had received notices after 3:00 pm yesterday for appearing before NAB at 10:00 in the morning.
Whenever, the accountability bureau had summoned, he had appeared before it, he said.
Ismail also termed the arrest of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as unlawful, adding: "Pakistan has never seen a man as sincere as Shahid Khaqan Abbasi."
(With additional input from PPI)
An accountability court in Islamabad on Friday granted the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) 13-day physical remand of former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) corruption case.
The Pakistan Muslim League (PML-N) leader will be presented before the court on August 1.
NAB arrested Abbasi on Thursday in a mega corruption case pertaining to the award of LNG import contract.
Abbasi, a member of the legislature, had his vehicle intercepted by a NAB team at the Thokar Niaz Baig motorway interchange, while he, along with fellow PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal and party spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, was on his way to attend a press conference.
The bureau is investigating alleged corruption in the award of a contract to import LNG from Qatar by Abbasi when he was minister for petroleum and natural resources in the cabinet of former premier Nawaz Sharif.
According to NAB arrest warrant, Abbasi is accused of commission of the offence of corruption and corrupt practices under Section 9 (a) of National Accountability Ordinance, 1999. Abbasi is facing the accusation of handing over a tender worth Rs220 billion to a company in which he was a shareholder himself.
Abbasi is the principal accused in the case that dates back to 2015. It was registered on the complaint of a former member of the Planning Commission along with others, who accused Abbasi of misusing his authority and causing a potential $2 billion loss to the national exchequer in 15 years.
Ismail granted pre-arrest bail
Fearing possible arrest by NAB, former finance minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Miftah Ismail and former Pakistan State Oil (PSO) managing director Imranul Haq reached Sindh High Court (SHC) on Friday for pre-arrest bail.
The SHC bench, headed by Justice Iqbal Kalhoro, granted the pre-arrest bail to Ismail and Haq till seven days against the surety of Rs500,000 each.
The bench stopped the NAB officials from arresting Ismail and Haq and also directed both applicants to cooperate with NAB officials in investigation.
However, Ismail refused to leave the court room till getting written order of the bail.
"The government is using fascist tactics against opponents. I will not leave the court room till receiving the written court order," he said
As NAB Chairman Javed Iqbal signed arrest warrants of Miftah on Thursday and formed teams in Karachi and Islamabad to take the former finance minister into custody, the PML-N leader along with former PSO MD approached SHC and submitted an application seeking pre-arrest bail.
Ismail reached the courtroom after submitting the bail application. Later, the court approved their pleas.
The NAB teams on (Thursday) conducted raids at Ismail residences in Karachi and Islamabad for arrest of Ismail.
Talking to media outside the court, the PML-N leader said there was no need for NAB to carry out raids. He said he had received notices after 3:00 pm yesterday for appearing before NAB at 10:00 in the morning.
Whenever, the accountability bureau had summoned, he had appeared before it, he said.
Ismail also termed the arrest of Shahid Khaqan Abbasi as unlawful, adding: "Pakistan has never seen a man as sincere as Shahid Khaqan Abbasi."
(With additional input from PPI)