Abbasi's physical remand extended by 14 days

Judge asks former prime minister to choose a counsel; PM decides to represent himself

ISLAMABAD:  

An accountability court on Thursday extended physical remand of former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi by 14 days in a multi-billion-rupee case related to the award of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import contract.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) produced Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) senior leader before Accountability Judge Muhammad Bashir after his 13-day physical remand ended.

During the hearing, the judge asked Abbasi to choose a counsel who would defend him in the case to which he replied that he would represent himself.

Earlier, on July 18, 2019, the graft buster arrested Abbasi near Thokar Niaz Baig toll plaza when he was on his way to attend a news conference and was accompanied by PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal and spokesperson Marriyum Auranzeb.

As per the arrest warrant, Abbasi was "accused of commission of the offence of corruption and corrupt practices under Section 9(a) of National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), 1999."

NAB Chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal directed the former premier's arrest under Section 18(e) and Section 24(a) of the NAO.

The Supreme Court on September 10, 2018 had directed the NAB to complete inquiry against Abbasi and others for the alleged corruption in the LNG reference.

In June 2018, NAB approved inquiry against former premier Nawaz Sharif and Shahid Khaqan Abbasi.

LNG case

The inquiry against Abbasi is being conducted directly under the supervision of NAB chairman.

On January 2, the NAB Executive Board had authorised two investigations against Abbasi, being former minister for petroleum and natural resources — one for his alleged involvement in irregularities in LNG import and the other related to the appointment of Naeemuddin Khan as president of the Bank of Punjab.

The former prime minister had said several times in the recent past that he had not committed any illegality in the award of contracts for LNG import and, therefore, he could prove his innocence at any forum.

He was of the view that the import of LNG was the need of the hour in 2013 when the country was facing an acute shortage of gas.

In the case, not only Abbasi but former prime minister Nawaz Sharif had also been accused of misusing authority by awarding the contract of LNG terminal to 15 companies of their choice.

It is the first NAB case against Abbasi, who had served as premier for almost a year after the disqualification of Nawaz by the apex court on July 28, 2017.

Interestingly, during the previous PML-N government, Karachi NAB in its regional board meeting had closed the inquiry against Khaqan Abbasi in December 2016.

But Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) opposed the decision and claimed that "the inquiry was stopped despite the fact that it had been proved that the contract had been awarded in a non-transparent manner".

The then Karachi NAB director general had remarked in a meeting: "After exhaustive discussion it has been decided that it is an ongoing project and any intervention by NAB at this juncture will jeopardise the efforts of provision of LNG from the project of public/national importance. It is, therefore, decided [to close the] inquiry [at] our end."

However, the NAB inquiry had revealed that the management of Inter State Gas Systems (ISGS) and Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) selected M/s Engro as a successful bidder for LNG terminal at Karachi Port in a non-transparent manner.

The NAB inquiry found that the SSGCL signed a 15-year contract with a subsidiary company of Engro for re-gasification of LNG at fixed daily processing charges.

The government authorised Pakistan State Oil to procure LNG on behalf of the SSGCL.

However, NAB reopened the inquiry against Abbasi in October 2018.

In February, Abbasi appeared before NAB and recorded his statement.

In April, the government imposed a travel ban on Abbasi, former finance minister Miftah Ismail, and five other persons in the same case.