IHC grants post-arrest bail to Miftah.

ISLAMABAD -- The Islamabad High Court (IHC) Monday granted post-arrest bail to former finance minister Miftah Ismail in the liquefied natural gas (LNG) corruption case.

A division bench of IHC comprising Chief Justice of IHC Justice Athar Minallah and Justice Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb conducted hearing of the bail petition of Ismail who has been behind the bars for over four months in connection with the investigation into the LNG terminal case.

During the hearing, Ismail's counsel contended before the court that his client was accused of hiring consultant illegally while the appointment was made by USAID and that he was not even on Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) board at that time.

To this, Justice Athar asked how much remand had been given to Ismail. The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) prosecutor informed the court that Ismail has been granted 49 days remand till now.

When the bench enquired about the status of inquiry, the NAB official told the court that the investigation was ongoing and an interim reference has been filed in the case. The NAB prosecutor opposed the bail saying that the accused may flee the country.

He also informed the court that former chairman SSGC Zuhair Siddiqui who has become approver in the case is being threatened. After the arguments were concluded, the bench granted bail to Miftah Ismail against surety bonds of worth Rs10 million.

In his petition, the counsel for...