ISLAMABAD: An accountability court on Thursday extended the physical remand of former premier and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi till August 15 in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) scandal.
The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) produced Abbasi before Justice Muhammad Bashir after his 13-day physical remand ended.
During the hearing, the judge asked Khaqan to choose a counsel who would defend him in the LNG reference case. Responding to this, the former premier said he will represent himself in court.
The former premier was arrested on July 18 in a mega corruption case pertaining to the award of liquefied natural gas (LNG) import contracts.
His vehicle intercepted by a NAB team at the Thokar Niaz Baig motorway interchange, while he, along with fellow PML-N leader Ahsan Iqbal and party spokesperson Marriyum Aurangzeb.
The bureau is investigating alleged corruption in the award of a contract to import LNG from Qatar by Abbasi when he was minister for petroleum and natural resources in the cabinet of former premier Nawaz Sharif.
Abbasi is the principal accused in the case that dates back to 2015. It was registered on the complaint of a former member of the Planning Commission along with others, who accused Abbasi of misusing his authority and causing a potential $2bn loss to the national exchequer in 15 years.
