Miftah Ismail files bail petition in LNG case

ISLAMABAD: Former finance minister Miftah Ismail on Wednesday filed bail petition in Islamabad High Court in Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) case, ARY News reported.

Ismail, an accused in the LNG accountability case, has filed the bail petition after the high court granted bail to former managing director of Pakistan State Oil (PSO), Sheikh Imranul Haq on Tuesday, a co-accused in the same case.

Miftah Ismail has pleaded for his release on bail until decision of the case.

Ismail in his petition made the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and the Secretary of Law as party.

The Islamabad high court on Tuesday granted bail petition submitted by Sheikh Imranul Haq, in LNG case.

The lawyer representing Imranul Haq apprised the court that his client is under the custody of the NAB since the last four months while the anti-corruption watchdog has not submitted its written reply at yet.

Chief Justice Athar Minallah, asked the prosecution to satisfy the court whether the authority was misused or not.

To this, the NAB investigation officer replied that accused Sheikh Imranul Haq, is the owner of four different companies while the contract for LNG terminal was expected to be awarded to a small-scale company.

Justice Minallah remarked that the authorities have failed to prove the involvement of the accused and misused the authority in the case and granted bail to Sheikh Imranul Haq.

LNG case

Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former finance minister Miftah Ismail, ex-PSO MD Imranul Haq and other facing charges of corruption and awarding a LNG import contract 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.