Khaqan Abbasi excuse s himself from appearing before NAB today & NAB arrested him

[war&peace]

Web Desk On Jul 18, 2019 Last Updated Jul 18, 2019

ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Thursday excused himself from appearing before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in liquefied natural gas (LNG) scam, reported ARY News.

On Wednesday, the anti-graft watchdog body had summoned senior leader of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) to appear before it, today.

“I’m ready to appear before the NAB, but need three days time”, Abbasi said in his letter penned to the NAB.

Received the summons from the NAB, yesterday, and it is impossible to show before the body on such short notice, he said in his letter.

The former prime minister is facing charges of corruption and awarding a LNG import contract at exorbitant rates in 2015, which caused a big loss to the national exchequer. Sources said that he had granted a tender worth Rs220 bn to a firm in which he himself was a shareholder.

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.

Read more: Shahid Khaqan, Miftah Ismail, others placed on ECL in LNG scandal probe

Earlier on April 26, the names of former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, former finance minister Miftah Ismail and five others had been placed in exit control list in an inquiry into the LNG scandal.

Chairman National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Justice (retd) Javed Iqbal had earlier approved an inquiry against Shahid Khaqan, Miftah Ismail and others for their alleged role in the LNG scandal.

Source

BTW, as per media reports, he has been arrested by NAB.

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[Hiraa]

I am reading that he was arrested just now?

 

[war&peace]

@war&peace brother, also that financial wizzard Mifta Ismaeel and one bureaucrat are also arrested.

#JumWhoriatKoHatra

NAB has been too slow... I strongly believe that NAB is a captured agency... still loyalists of #Maffias are in NAB...

I came to know about his arrest through a tweet by a PMLN paid media cell so I did not want to share his/her tweet so waiting for other credible media to confirm it.
It will double many happiness if Mufta has also been arrested. Dr Shahid said Mufta was like a PA of Ishaq Dark.

 

[Norwegian]

I came to know about his arrest through a tweet by a PMLN paid media cell so I did not want to share his/her tweet so waiting for other credible media to confirm it.
It will double many happiness if Mufta has also been arrested. Dr to Shahid Mufta was like a PA of Ishaq Dark.

He is arrested

 

[SIPRA]

He is arrested

Yes. All the newspaper are confirming it.

Maryam Tweetni has also started her characteristic barking and howling.

 

[1Paki$tani]

Confirmed arrested.

 

[volatile]

Yes continue to arrest and inquire people who speaks against great IK and his policies .

 

[CHACHA"G"]

BTW, as per media reports, he has been arrested by NAB.

Yes he is under arrest ……. LNG terminal deal where Pak Govt must have to pay 200,000+$ every day total investment is 200million $$ this is fuking criminal act ……… Hang this mofo only for this one fuked up deal..

 

[war&peace]

I am reading that he was arrested just now?

Yes He has been arrested. Alhamdulillah.. step 1 checked

 

[Hiraa]

Yes continue to arrest and inquire people who speaks against great IK and his policies .

Or corrupt and looters of pakistan in last decade or so.

 

[war&peace]

Yes continue to arrest and inquire people who speaks against great IK and his policies .

He has been arrested by NAB under corruption charges. He was supposed to appear before NAB for questioning but he failed so he got arrested. What has the hon. Prime Minister of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan Mr. Imran Ahmed Khan to do with it? Kindly refrain from derailing the thread else I will be forced to report.

 

[Crystal-Clear]

Yes continue to arrest and inquire people who speaks against great IK and his policies .

lol rota patwari.

 

[Laozi]

NAB arrests former PM Shahid Khaqan Abbasi in LNG case

Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi was arrested by a 12-member National Accountability Bureau (NAB) team on Thursday in a multi-billion-rupee case related to the award of a liquefied natural gas (LNG) import contract.

According to DawnNewsTV, Abbasi was on his way to attend a press conference, accompanied by PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal and spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb, when he was arrested on the Thokar Niaz Beg interchange.

Abbasi initially resisted the arrest but eventually conceded. He has been shifted to NAB lock-up in Lahore.

According to NAB Rawalpindi Deputy Director Asad Janjua, bureau's chairman Javed Iqbal has also signed the arrest warrant of another PML-N leader, Miftah Ismail.

A five-member team, headed by Janjua, has been dispatched to take the former finance minister into custody, who is believed to be in Islamabad. Ismail is nominated in the same corruption reference as Abbasi and is accused of validating controversial contracts of the sale of natural gas liquids (NGLs).

Abbasi snared by NAB
NAB had summoned the former premier in the LNG case today but he did not appear before the bureau. According to the team investigating Abbasi, the former premier had only answered 20 out of the 75 questions he had been asked. They said that despite giving him time, Abbasi had continually asked for more time to answer these questions.

PML-N leader Maryam Nawaz shared a NAB arrest warrant for Abbasi, dated July 16.

As per the arrest warrant, Abbasi is "accused of commission of the offence of corruption and corrupt practices under Section 9(a) of National Accountability Ordinance (NAO), 1999."

NAB Chairman retired Justice Javed Iqbal directed the former premier's arrest under Section 18(e) and Section 24(a) of the NAO.

Abbasi "shall be produced before the court for authorisation of detention for such period as may be necessary for finalisation of the investigation", the arrest warrant added.

According to sources, he will be presented in court tomorrow due to the shortage of court hours today. Accountability Judge Chaudhry Ameer Khan will hear NAB's request for a transit remand.

Condemnations from PML-N
In a post shared on Twitter, Leader of the Opposition in the National Assembly Shehbaz Sharif condemned Abbasi's arrest.

"We strongly protest Shahid Khaqan Abbasi's arrest. The institution of NAB has become Imran Khan's puppet.Our spirits cannot be wavered by such cheap tactics," he said.

While speaking to DawnNewsTV, PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal strongly protested the arrest and any other arrests "made to silence those who question the government".

"I have a question, does no civilian in this country have the right to serve this country?"

"If we do, we will be prosecuted," he added.

LNG case
NAB had summoned the former premier in the LNG case today.

"You are requested to appear on 18-07-2019 at 10am at NAB Islamabad before Investigation Officer Malik Zubair Ahmed, deputy director, for discussion and recording your statement being minister of petroleum and natural resources on LNG terminal," said the NAB notice that was served to Abbasi. "You are advised that failing with this notice may entail penal consequences as provided in serial 2 of the schedule of the National Accountability Ordinance 1999."

The notice said the competent authority has taken cognizance of an offence committed by Abbasi under the provision of NAO 1999 on allegations of "deceitfully, fraudulently and dishonestly causing a loss to the national exchequer, misuse of authority, and obtaining pecuniary advantage through corrupt, dishonest and illegal means during the award of LNG Terminal-1. […] The investigations have revealed that you [Abbasi] are in possession of information/evidence regarding award of LNG Terminal-1 to M/s EETPT [a private firm] etc which relates to the commission of the said offence."

In April, the government imposed a travel ban on Abbasi, former finance minister Miftah Ismail, and five other persons in the same case. According to an earlier notification, the amount involved in the case was Rs36.969 billion.

Additional reporting by Rana Bilal in Lahore

This is a developing story that is being updated as the situation evolves. Initial reports in the media can sometimes be inaccurate. We will strive to ensure timeliness and accuracy by relying on credible sources, such as concerned, qualified authorities and our staff reporters.

https://www.dawn.com/news/1494801

 

[SIPRA]

There is already a thread on this news, though with a wrong title.

 

[Imad.Khan]