The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has reopened investigation into Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) scandal against former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, a private news channel reported on Thursday.
According to the channel, NAB Rawalpindi has decided to summon the senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader for investigation in a LNG deal in which he is accused of awarding an import contract which caused a $2 billion loss to the national exchequer.
Shahid Sattar – an energy expert and former member of the Planning Commission and the SSGC board of directors – had on July 29, 2015, registered a complaint against Abbasi, who was then the federal minister for petroleum, for misusing his authority by awarding the import contract.
According to NAB documents, the contract for the LNG import and distribution was awarded to Elengy Terminal in 2013 in violation of the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority (PPRA) rules and relevant laws. The NAB documents at that time said it had been recommended that the names of all accused in the case, including Abbasi, should be placed on the Exit Control List (ECL).
However, no such decision was taken.
In February this year, the Supreme Court had fixed a plea filed by Awami Muslim League (AML) chief Sheikh Rasheed Ahmed seeking disqualification of then prime minister Abbasi over alleged corruption in the award of LNG import contract.
The petition requested the SC to order the National Accountability Bureau to take action against Abbasi in this regard.
