ISLAMABAD: An accountability court heard the Narowal Sports Complex reference case against PML-N leader and Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal.

Accountability Court judge Syed Asghar Ali heard the case as Ahsan Iqbal’s lawyer and NAB prosecutor appeared in the court.

The PML-N leader’s lawyer said the petition for pre-trial acquittal is under hearing in the Islamabad High Court and therefore, the proceedings should be stopped until the decision is taken.

The presiding judge said the court is not bound by the lawyer’s request. The judge said the statements of all witnesses by the NAB will be recorded. The court summoned the witnesses to appear on September 28.

The court remarked that a decision will be made after the verdict of the Islamabad High Court on the acquittal plea.

Ahsan Iqbal had filed a petition in the IHC seeking his acquittal in the Narowal Sports Complex reference.  The petitioner had maintained that NAB could not level any charges of corruption against him in the reference and sought acquittal in the case.

NAB has urged the court to dismiss the acquittal plea, saying it has sufficient evidence against him. It said that Ahsan misconceived and abused the process of law and had no right to file the petition.

Ahsan Iqbal is accused of misusing authority and illegally enhancing the scope of the project from Rs732 million to Rs3 billion. According to the prosecution, the project of the Narowal Sports City was initially conceived in 1999 on the directives of Iqbal without any feasibility study.

The project was initially approved at a cost of Rs34.74 million by the Central Development Working Party (CDWP) headed by Iqbal.

Iqbal allegedly directed the Pakistan Sports Board (PSB) and the National Engineering Service of Pakistan to enhance the scope of the project to the tune of Rs97.52 million.

As per the reply of NAB, Ahsan Iqbal misused his authority and transferred the federal government’s funds in the NSC project situated in his constituency.

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