Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Friday excused himself from appearing before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in liquefied natural gas (LNG) scam today. On Wednesday, the anti-graft watchdog body’s Rawalpindi chapter had summoned the senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for recording his statement in the LNG scandal. “I would appear before the NAB on February 18 after returning to the homeland,” Abbasi informed the accountability watchdog. However, the NAB has directed him to appear before it on February 19 along with the relevant record. The NAB is inquiring a case registered in 2015 against Abbasi for awarding a LNG import contract, which had allegedly caused a $2 billion loss to the national exchequer. Accusing the former minister for petroleum, Khaqan Abbasi, of misusing his authority, the case was registered on the complaint of Shahid Sattar – an energy expert and former member of the Planning Commission and the SSGC board of directors – on July 29, 2015. According to NAB documents, the contract for the LNG import and distribution was awarded to the Elengy Terminal in 2013 in violation of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules and relevant laws. Published in Daily Times, February 9th 2019.