LNG case: Court returns supplementary reference to NAB with objections

ISLAMABAD: The registrar of an accountability court in the capital on Saturday returned the supplementary reference filed against former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and others with objections to NAB, ARY News reported.

Sources said the anti-graft watchdog had submitted incomplete supplementary reference against PML-N leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Miftah Ismail, others in the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) terminal case.

The supplementary reference filed by anti-corruption watchdog also revealed incomplete documentation and incorrect numbering, sources told ARY News.

The accountability court returned the reference to National Accountability Bureau (NAB) with objection and directed to file supplementary reference again with corrections.

The accountability bureau had filed supplementary references against former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and erstwhile finance minister Miftah Ismail in Liquefied natural gas (LNG) case.

The anti-graft watchdog alleges that the accused awarded the LNG Terminal-1 contract through a non-transparent process.

LNG scandal

Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Miftah Ismail, ex-PSO MD Imranul Haq and others are facing charges of corruption over awarding a LNG import contract allegedly at exorbitant rates in 2015, which caused a big loss to the national exchequer.

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