ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has issued a notice to the former Federal Minister for Petroleum & Natural Resource, Dr Asim Hussain, on a National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) petition seeking cancellation of his bail in two references.
A three-member bench of the apex court, headed by Justice Ejaz Afzal Khan, resumed hearing into Dr Asim’s plea to remove his name from the Exit Control List (ECL) as well as a NAB petition requesting cancellation of his bail.
NAB had filed a reference against Dr Asim, along with top officials of the Sui Southern Gas Company (SSGC) and the Oil and Gas Development Company Limited (OGDCL) over misuse of their authority to award five gas field contracts to the privately-managed Jamshoro Joint Venture Limited (JJVL). Besides, NAB had also filed another reference against Dr Asim Hussain and others in an accountability court for alleged corruption.
In March, the Sindh High Court granted bail to Dr Asim Hussain on medical ground in the matter of two NAB references that Dr Asim Hussain is allegedly involved in Rs462 billion corruption. The court had issued directives to Dr Asim Hussain to deposit Rs2.5 million surety in each case, along with his original Pakistani and Canadian passports, with the court official. Dr Asim Hussain, however, challenged the Sindh High Court order before the Supreme Court, through his counsel Sardar Latif Khosa, praying that he was in dire need of medical treatment which is not possible in Pakistan. He had also prayed to the apex court to issue directives for removing his name from the ECL.
Similarly, NAB had also challenged the Sindh High Court bail, granted to Dr Asim Hussain on the grounds that no medical problem the accused was facing which cannot be treated in Pakistan.
