ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Thursday sent former Prime Minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi to jail on judicial remand till 11th October in the LNG case.
Judge Mohammad Bashir of the Islamabad Accountability Court rejected the request of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for an extension in their physical remand.
Abbasi, who has been representing himself in the case, submitted a nine-point defense statement. He said that his family, friends and some officers were being harassed by NAB.
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He asked the court that if he was misusing his authorities then what were Miftah Ismail and Imran ul Haq doing in the court.
He added, “If I did something wrong, I would reap some benefits too.”
Abbasi said, “Over the past many months I have been asked to file replies to questionnaires after questionnaires regarding Qatar-Pakistan LNG deal, M/s Elengy Terminal, use of helicopters and airplanes, ECC decisions, cabinet decisions, Benami properties, and money laundering.”
He said that NAB asked for 20 years of financial details on his assets, income, expenses, food, gas bills, electricity bills, phone bills, school fees, employee salaries, bank accounts, vehicles, business transactions, and business associates.
He claimed that the NAB has threatened two officers and tried to make them witnesses for the prosecution.
Khaqan Abbasi claimed that he was allegedly manhandled by the NAB during his physical remand.
However, the accountability court has sent Khaqan Abbasi, Mistah Ismail, and former PSO managing director Imran ul Haq to jail on judicial remand till 11th October.
The former prime minister is accused of being involved in awarding a 15-year contract for an LNG terminal against the rules when Abbasi was petroleum minister in the cabinet of former premier Nawaz Sharif.
Abbasi was arrested by NAB while en-route to Thokar Niaz Baig in Lahore on 18th July in a multi-billion-rupee case related to the LNG import contract.
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