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Court strictly directs NAB to file LNG reference till August 6

Court strictly directs NAB to file LNG reference till August 6
July 3, 2020
ISLAMABAD (92 News) – An accountability court on Friday strictly directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to file liquefied natural gas (LNG) supplementary reference till August 6. During the hearing, the NAB has once again sought time from accountability court for filing LNG supplementary reference. However, the indictment proceedings against former premier Shahid Khaqan Abbasi have been deferred till registration of supplementary reference. The court has given last deadline for filing final reference and ordered to the anti-graft watchdog to file the reference till August 6 after investigation. Talking to the journalists, the former prime minister said that the NAB is being used politically, adding that all allegations are fake and baseless against him. On July 18, the NAB arrested PML-N vice-president Shahid Khaqan Abbasi from the Toll Plaza near Thokar Niaz Baig in LNG case. On Jan 2, the NAB Executive Board had authorized two investigations against Mr Abbasi, being former minister for petroleum and natural resources — one for his alleged involvement in irregularities in LNG import and the other related to the appointment of Naeemuddin Khan as president of the Bank of Punjab. The NAB inquiry found that the SSGCL signed a 15-year contract with a subsidiary company of Engro for re-gasification of LNG at fixed daily processing charges. The government authorized the Pakistan State Oil to procure LNG on behalf of the SSGCL. However, the NAB reopened the inquiry against Abbasi in October 2018.