ISLAMABAD: The Accountability Court on Tuesday reserved its verdict over former prime minister and senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N), Shahid Khaqan Abbasi's application seeking to summon Interior Minister Rashid Ahmed as first witness in the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) case against Abbasi and others.
Accountability Court-II judge, Muhammad Azam Khan, while hearing the LNG case reserved its verdict over Abbasi's application, and adjourned hearing till January 7.
Abbasi, during the previous hearing, had field an application through his counsel before the court seeking to summon Rashid Ahmed who is a complainant in the LNG case against him and others as first witness.
"The court should ask Ahmed that what kind of crime had been committed, and what evidence he has under which this case has been registered," Abbasi said.
Barrister Zafarullah Khan Abbasi counsel told the court that the person who lodged complaint before the NAB regarding this case should first appear before the court.
The record provided by the complaint to the anti-graft body should also be provided to us, he further said.
The NAB prosecutor while objecting to Abbasi's plea said the NAB had the right to present its witnesses in any order and as per it desire.
During the court hearing, statement of prosecution witness Hassan Bhati was recorded.
The witness produced various documents regarding the case before the court.
Talking to media outside the Accountability Court, Abbasi said the government had made false cases against the opposition.
No case had been made against those who embezzled billions of rupees in sugar, wheat, and LNG scams, he said.
He said that a case had been made against him and others for misuse of authority in the LNG terminal. What is the annual cost of this terminal? he asked.
He said the Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SGCL) had installed that terminal and its total annual cost was Rs14 billion.
Abbasi said that a federal minister who owned a power plant had an annual saving of Rs16 million by operating his power plant through that terminal.
The total saving of four LNG power plants was Rs50 billion, he said, adding that "a case worth Rs48 billion have been made against us, and according to the NAB, losses of Rs18 billion had been incurred, and losses of Rs30 billion are yet to be made."
He said "if he had saved Rs50 billion then out of total losses, pay me the remaining saving."
"If the Federal Minister for Petroleum has the courage, he should come before the people and say whether he incurred losses or benefit from the terminal," he said.
"We had produced amendments in the National Accountability Ordinance, 1999, before the National Assembly committee.
"The amendments had been tabled before the committee eights months ago, while Federal Minister for Information Shibli Faraz came to know about it today," he said.
He said the prime minister neither could give NRO nor he had the courage.
The prime minister was providing NRO to thieves of sugar, wheat and flour, he alleged.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2020
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