Ex-minister knocks on SHC for bail in LNG scam

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Former finance minister, Miftah Ismail, on Tuesday, called upon the Sindh High Court (SHC) to procure the protective bail in the liquefied petroleum gas (LNG) terminal scandal.

Miftah is currently being investigated by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in this regard.

The petition filed by Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader stated that the accountability watchdog was carrying out an alleged and baseless inquiry against him.

He pleaded the court to grant him protective bail and showed a willingness to cooperate with the bureau in its inquiry against the LNG scam.

Earlier, the NAB had requested the interior ministry to put the name of former finance minister Miftah Ismail on the no-fly list. In October 2018, the bureau had reopened its investigation into the LNG scandal against the erstwhile prime minister, Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, and others, which was registered in 2015.

Previously, the file was closed and put in the back burner at the NAB’s Karachi office.

Abbasi is being investigated for awarding an LNG import contract, which incurred a potential $2 billion loss to the national exchequer. 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.