ISLAMABAD: Accountability court on Tuesday granted the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) 13-day physical remand of senior Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Ahsan Iqbal in the Narowal Sports City corruption case.
Ahsan Iqbal had been arrested on Monday by the NAB after he appeared before the accountability watchdog in relation to an ongoing inquiry into the case.
The anti-graft body had in July 2018 started investigating the sports complex, which was built at the staggering cost of over Rs 3 billion.
During the hearing today, the NAB prosecutor informed the court about the reasons why Iqbal was taken into custody and why it had a sought 14-day remand of the PML-N leader.
Speaking to the media upon his arrival at the court, Iqbal asked how Rs 6 billion could have been misappropriated by him on a project worth Rs 2.5 billion in total.
According to NAB documents, the cost of the project was increased without approval from the competent authority.
Iqbal was accused of bypassing the Central Development Working Party in this regard and taking a decision on his own without adopting the stated procedure in the Development Manual of the Planning Commission.
Detailing the reasons for his arrest, the NAB official told the court that the accused was found to be directly involved in the matter and he may flee the country if not taken into custody.
A NAB investigation team had visited the Narowal Sports City project last month to secure records.
The mega venture was one of the primary projects developed under former minister for planning Iqbal during the PML-N’s tenure.
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