Helicopter misuse: Imran seeks time to appear before NAB

Helicopter misuse: Imran seeks time to appear before NAB

PESHAWAR: Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) Chairman Imran Khan, through his counsels, has asked the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to give him time to appear in an ongoing inquiry against his alleged misuse of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government's helicopters.

A notice was issued to the PTI chief last week to appear before the NAB Khyber Pakhtunkhwa office, where he will be questioned about allegedly using the provincial government’s helicopters for private visits, sources said.

NAB officials said today that Imran's lawyers have submitted an application stating that the party chief is busy with the election campaign and thus cannot appear for questioning. 

Khan is accused of illegally using an Mi-17 and an Ecureuil helicopter belonging to the KP government for a total of 74 hours, causing a loss of Rs2.1 million to the national exchequer.

On January 29 this year, Geo News reported that the former KP government spent millions of rupees on Imran's use of the provincial government's helicopters.

NAB chairman Justice (retired) Javed Iqbal in February directed the bureau to launch a probe against the PTI chief and then-KP chief minister Pervez Khattak over unofficial use of two government helicopters by misusing authority.

Khattak has already appeared before NAB in the past regarding the case.
 
 APP/AFP