LAHORE: Ex-Punjab minister Sibtain Khan on Wednesday secured bail from Lahore High Court (LHC) in a National Accountability Bureau (NAB) case pertaining to the purportedly illegal awarding of a government contract in 2007 when he was provincial minister for mines and minerals in the PML-Q government.
The Bureau arrested Khan on June 14, then minister for wildlife and fisheries, during an inquiry into the scam. It maintained that the PTI stalwart violated relevant laws and awarded a multi-billion contract to a firm of his choice, Earth Resource Private Limited (ERPL).
According to NAB, the company had a paid-up capital of Rs2.5 million only and also lacked the experience required for the project. In addition, the company was not even registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan (SECP) and, the Bureau said, Khan signed the agreement ignoring the laws.
Following the arrest, Khan tendered his resignation to Punjab Chief Minister Usman Buzdar which was immediately accepted.
The following day, LHC remanded Khan into NAB custody for 10 days and directed the anti-graft bureau to present him again on June 25. Upon completion of his initial judicial remand, the court extended the duration for eight days. Subsequently, Khan was produced before LHC on Wednesday which granted him bail in the said case.
