close
Thursday March 28, 2024

Helicopter case: Imran seeks time until after polls to join NAB inquiry

By Akhtar Amin
July 19, 2018

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan Wednesday did not appear before the National Accountability Bureau (NAB), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in the helicopter case.

The NAB had summoned him through a call-up notice in connection with an inquiry into the alleged misuse of KP government’s helicopters for private visits.

Imran submitted an application to the NAB through his lawyer Babar Awan seeking adequate time to appear before the Combined Investigation Team (CIT) after the general elections.

“This is in response to a call-up notice under Section-19 of National Accountability Ordinance issued on July 11. The applicant is the head of the largest political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf, which is participating in the upcoming general elections throughout the country and being the head, the applicant is steering countrywide election campaign; therefore, the applicant is unable to appear before this committee (CIT) on July 18 due to the reasons mentioned above.

“It is requested that appropriate time be granted to the applicant to join the proceedings before the CIT, after the general elections, preferably August 7,” Babar Awan advocate stated in the application signed by Imran Khan.

A NAB official told The News that the NAB Chairman Justice (R) Javed Iqbal will decide whether to accept or reject the request.

Justice (R) Javed Iqbal had directed the NAB KP director general to conduct an inquiry against Imran and the then KP chief minister Pervez Khattak for unofficial use of two government helicopters — MI-17 and Ecureuil — by misusing authority. As per the official communiqué issued by the NAB, there is documentary evidence that Imran Khan paid Rs2.1 million for using MI-17 and Ecureuil helicopters of the KP government for a total of 74 hours.

This amounts to Rs28,000 spent for every hour the helicopters were used, it said.

The NAB report claimed that had Imran used a private company’s helicopters, it would have cost him an hourly fare of between Rs1 million and Rs1.2 million for the MI-17, and between Rs0.5m and Rs0.6m for the Ecureuil.

It claimed that Imran Khan should have paid the KP government Rs11.1 million, but official documents only mention payments of Rs2.1 million. During a party meeting Imran had denied using the official helicopters of the PTI-led KP government for personal use.