Illegal hirings: Arrest warrants issued for ex-PM Abbasi

KARACHI: An accountability court issued non-bailable arrest warrants for former prime minister Shahid Khaqan Abbasi on Friday, barely a month after the Islamabad High Court (IHC) granted him bail in a separate corruption reference related to the award of an LNG contract. This time, the accountability court has issued the PML-N leader’s arrest warrants over alleged illegal hiring during his tenure as the minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources. NAB officials told the court that during proceedings against Shahid Khaqan Abbasi, it was found out that he illegally appointed the managing director and deputy managing director of Pakistan State Oil (PSO). The court, hearing the arguments, subsequently issued arrest warrants for Abbasi as well as former petroleum secretary Arshad Mirza. The court also issued notices to those accused of being illegaly hired by Abbasi, summoning them on April 10. Earlier, the IHC had granted bail to Abbasi against bonds worth Rs10 million. NAB had arrested Abbasi last year for alleged corruption while awarding a multi-billion rupee import contract for LNG in 2013, when he was the minister for Petroleum and Natural Resources. According to the NAB arrest warrant, Abbasi was accused of commission of the offence of corruption and corrupt practices.