Accountability Court adjourns LNG case hearing until Oct 28

ISLAMABAD: An accountability court while hearing LNG case against former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and Miftah Ismail on Friday summoned reply from jail authorities about permission to the accused for use of laptop.

Shahid Khaqan, co-accused Miftah Ismail and Imran ul Haq were produced in the accountability court here today.

The court on a plea of the accused former prime minister called reply from the jail officials about permission for using laptop and allowing the accused meeting in jail.

Abbasi had pleaded to the court that the accused of the case be granted permission of meeting in the jail.

The judge said the court will ask the jail officials about meeting between the accused adding that the permission will only be granted as per the jail manual.

The court adjourned further hearing of the case until October 28 after brief hearing.

Moreover, three sons of former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Abdullah Shahid, Haider Shahid, and Nadir Shahid appeared before NAB in Rawalpindi and recorded their statements with regard to the assets of their father.

They expressed their ignorance about the LNG case and business matters of their father, according to sources.

Abbasi was arrested by National Accountability Bureau (NAB) while en-route to Thokar Niaz Baig in Lahore on July 18 in a multi-billion-rupee case related to the award of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import contract.

NAB sources said that Abbasi, in 2013, had awarded LNG import and distribution contract to the Elengy Terminal in violation of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules and relevant laws.

Earlier on April 26, the names of former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former finance minister Miftah Ismail and five others were placed in exit control list in an inquiry into the LNG scandal.