NAB files reference against Khaqan, Miftah

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) on Tuesday filed a reference against former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former finance minister Miftah Ismail and seven other accused in connection with the liquefied natural gas (LNG) case.

The NAB filed the reference at the registrar office of Accountability Court-I Judge Muhammad Bashir against nine accused including Abbasi, Ismail, ex-managing director (MD) Pakistan State Oil (PSO) Sheikh Imran-ul-Haque, Agha Jan Akhtar, former chairman Port Qasim Authority (PQA), Saeed Ahmed Khan, former chairman Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA), Aamir Naseem, former member oil OGRA, Uzma Adil Khan, chairperson OGRA, Shahid M Islam, former MD PSO, and Abdul Samad Dawood for misusing their authority.

According to NAB reference, one company had been provided benefits of over Rs 21 billion from March 2015 to September 2019. The benefits provided to the company will incur loss of Rs 47 billion to the national exchequer because the contract would continue till 2029, the reference said.

The reference says that the contract will cost the public more than Rs 68 billion over 15 years in terms of gas bills. Former MD PSO Haque had played an important role in signing of the contract.

The registrar office after receiving the reference raised objections over it, saying that the documents of reference are not in order and pages of the reference are not numbered. The registrar office returned the reference to NAB and asked NAB to resubmit it again after removing the errors and injections.

The name of Abbasi has been placed on exit control list (ECL) and NAB is conducting separate investigations of Qatar contract, a NAB official said. Both main accused persons Abbasi and Ismail were arrested by NAB four months ago while the third accused Haq has obtained bail from Islamabad High Court (IHC).

The NAB in its notice to Abbasi accused him of misusing his authority and "deceitfully, fraudulently and dishonestly" causing loss to the national exchequer while awarding the contract for LNG terminal-1.

The former premier has been accused of illegally awarding a 15-year contract for an LNG terminal while he was serving as the petroleum minister in Nawaz Sharif's cabinet. The case was reopened in 2018 after being closed in 2016. According to NAB, the existing chemical terminal of Engro Group (in chemical zone of PQA) was hired by government at high cost of about Rs 27 million per day for 15 years, while total amounts are around Rs 15 billion, and this rent was paid by Sui Southern Gas Company Limited (SSGCL) and Pakistan States Oil (PSO) to Engro, a company of Hussain Dawood, for the purpose of handling LNG imported from Qatar on behalf of the government and PSO. This rental amount is being paid to Engro regardless of whether Engro's terminal is used or not.

The NAB says that an existing, underutilized and state-owned SSGCL LPG terminal was already available at Port Qasim, which was equally capable of being retrofitted and used for the import/handling of LNG after spending Rs 30 million to Rs 40 million only.

Earlier, during the hearing, NAB produced both Abbasi and Ismail before the Accountability Court Judge Muhammad Bashir on expiry of their judicial remand. During the hearing, Abbasi's counsel said that despite passage of 100 days, the NAB has failed to file reference against the accused.

On this NAB prosecutor said that NAB Chairman former Justice Javed Iqbal has approved the reference and it will be filed the same day (Tuesday).

The former premier came to the rostrum and said, "Tell me what charges against me are." On this, the NAB prosecutor said that reference will be filed and everything is mentioned in it.

"Waite, reference will be filed today," the judge said. On this Abbasi said that NAB will not file the reference and will just approve it that day.

The NAB prosecutor said that the reference has been approved and registrar office will conduct its scrutiny.

During the hearing, the judge barred Ismail from speaking. Ismail said that NAB is just teasing people.

The accused should not be emotional, the judge told Ismail's counsel.

Abbasi requested the court for provision of a laptop to him in jail, which the court approved.

The court after hearing arguments of both the sides extended judicial remand of both the accused till December 16.