IHC moved against transfer of LNG case

ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court (IHC) was moved against the transfer of Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) import contract case, registered against 10 accused, including former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, from accountability court to Special Judge Court, ARY News reported on Tuesday.

In the petition, the co-accused in the case asked IHC to declare the accountability court’s August 9 decision ‘null and void’ and acquit him from the case. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has been made respondent in the petition.

It is pertinent to mention here that the Accountability Court on August 9 transferred LNG case against Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and former finance minister Miftah Ismail, to the court of special judge central.

Accountability Court judge Muhammad Bashir, while announcing the judgment he had reserved on the plea filed by Abbasi and others, in which they had challenged the territorial jurisdiction of the court in view of the amendments made in the NAB law, declared that the instant references did not fall under the ambit of this court after the promulgation of the National Accountability amendment ordinance.

He transferred it to the court special judge central. The Special Judge Central hears the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) cases.

Ex-PM Abbasi, Miftah Ismail, ex-PSO MD Imranul Haq and others are accused of awarding an LNG import contract allegedly at exorbitant rates in 2015, which caused a big loss to the national exchequer.

According to the NAB, Abbasi had awarded an LNG import and distribution contract to the Elengy Terminal in violation of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules in 2013.