Islamabad, Pakistan’s anti-corruption body on Friday summoned Prime Minister in-waiting Imran Khan on August 7 in an ongoing inquiry against his alleged misuse of government’s helicopters.
The Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) chief is accused of illegally using an Mi-17 and an Ecureuil helicopter belonging to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government for 74 hours, causing a loss of Rs 2.1 million to the national exchequer, the Pakistani media reported.
In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, PTI has led the provincial government since 2013.
A National Accountability Bureau (NAB) official said that statements of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister Pervez Khattak and aviation authorities in the case have been recorded, Geo News reported.
Khan had earlier said that the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government made it clear that there was never any personal or private use of government helicopters by him. He also said that NAB was “most welcome” to examine the issue.
This is not the first time the accountability watchdog has summoned the 65-year-old politician. He was summoned in July as well, however, he skipped the July 18 hearing owing to “busy schedule”.
On January 29 this year, Geo News reported that the former Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government spent millions of rupees on Khan’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 the then Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Chief Minister over the issue.
Khattak has already appeared before NAB in the case. Khan is scheduled to take oath of office on August 11.
