ISLAMABAD: Former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi excused himself from appearing before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in liquefied natural gas (LNG) scam on Friday.
On Wednesday, the NAB Rawalpindi chapter had summoned senior leader of the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) for recording his statement in the LNG scandal.
“I would appear before NAB on February 18 after returning back to the homeland,” Abbasi informed the accountability watchdog.
NAB has directed him to appear before it on February 19 along with the relevant record.
The NAB is inquiring into a case registered in 2015 against Abbasi for awarding an LNG import contract which caused a potential $2 billion loss to the national exchequer.
Accusing the-then minister for petroleum Abbasi of misusing his authority, the case was registered on 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.
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.
