LNG case: Reference against Abbasi, Miftah to be filed within 14 days, AC informed

National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has prepared a corruption reference against former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former finance minister Miftah Ismail and ex-managing director (MD) Pakistan State Oil (PSO) Sheikh Imran-ul-Haque in connection with the liquefied natural gas (LNG) case that will be filed within 14 days.

The NAB prosecutor informed this to Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir, saying the reference will be filed before the court within 14 days following the approval of the NAB chairman.

During the hearing, Abbasi, Ismail and Haque were present in the courtroom. The officials of the NAB produced Abbasi, Ismail, and Haque on expiry of their judicial remands and requested the court to extend their judicial remands.

During the hearing, Abbasi came to the rostrum and urged the judge to ask the NAB what the case against him is about. "For the last one year they have been playing a drama that the LNG had been supplied at exorbitant rates," he said, adding now they have come to know that "We imported the LNG at lower price as compared to India and Bangladesh."

He said now the NAB should show moral courage and inform the public that the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) government had supplied LNG at lower price.

The NAB prosecutor said that the Bureau will file the reference within 14 days. While addressing the accused persons, the judge said, "Read the reference after the NAB files it. The court will summon the suspects when the NAB files the reference."

The prosecutor said, "We will explain the allegations against Abbasi in the reference. "They come here and say during every hearing that they have been detained without any charge," he said, adding if they have any problem due to imprisonment then they should file an application to the relevant court. He added that the accused have so far not moved any application to the relevant forum for bail.

The court after hearing the arguments of both the sides extended the judicial remand of all the three accused till December 3 and ordered to produce them before the court on the next hearing.

While taking to the media informally, Abbasi said, "We had submitted our replies regarding the reference. The NAB has adopted the stance that the LNG had been supplied at exorbitant rates, he said, adding that the NAB should prove its claim and if they are unable to prove its stance then they should tender an apology from the nation.

He said that 30 LNG terminals have been set up across the world. "If one of these LNG terminals has been installed at lower rates than Pakistan then punish me without filing the reference," he said. Abbasi said that former prime minister Nawaz Sharif is going abroad for his treatment and it is his legal right.

Copyright Business Recorder, 2019