The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has granted a clean chit to former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, ex-Finance Minister Miftah Ismail, and others implicated in the Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) reference.
This development follows NAB’s decision to withdraw the corruption reference against the former premier, who has persistently advocated for the dissolution of the anti-corruption watchdog, citing political victimization.
During the hearing presided over by Accountability Court (AC) judge Nasir Javed Rana, Abbasi, accompanied by his legal counsel, appeared before the court.
NAB Deputy Prosecutor Azhar Maqbool informed the court of the bureau’s decision to retract the reference against Shahid Khaqan Abbasi and the other accused.
“The NAB is retracting the reference against Shahid Khaqan Abbasi,” Maqbool stated.
Background: Former Prime Minister Abbasi, Miftah Ismail, ex-PSO MD Imranul Haq, and others were accused of corruption related to the awarding of an LNG import contract at allegedly inflated rates in 2015, resulting in substantial losses to the national treasury.
In 2019, NAB Rawalpindi filed a reference in the Liquefied Natural Gas import contract case against 10 individuals, including Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, Miftah Ismail, and former Pakistan State Oil managing director Sheikh Imranul Haq.
As per the reference, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi purportedly awarded an LNG import and distribution contract to the Elengy Terminal in 2013, allegedly breaching the rules of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) and pertinent laws.
The case underwent proceedings in an accountability court in Islamabad, and in 2020, Abbasi was detained by NAB, subsequently being released on bail.