Pakistan admiral on corruption charges

Pakistan’s former navy chief was charged today with receiving kickbacks worth more than £3.5m (€5.44m) in connection to the purchase of three ships by the national shipping company.

Admiral Mansur ul-Haq and Mirza Ashfaq Baig, the former director of the Pakistan National Shipping Corporation, were remanded in custody until July 30 when they appeared before a corruption court in Karachi.

The National Accountability Bureau alleged that Haq used his position to influence then-prime minister Nawaz Sharif to appoint another admiral as acting chairman of the shipping corporation.

The trio then arranged for the corporation to buy three ships from a Nigerian shipping company for more than £30m (€46.6m). The ships had a market value of about £6m (€9.3m).

Admiral Haq faced corruption charges earlier this year in relation to the navy’s purchase of three French submarines. He was released after striking a deal with prosecutors and agreeing to return £5m (€7.8m) to the government.

President Pervez Musharraf launched a massive drive against corruption after he ousted Sharif in a bloodless coup in 1999.

Scores of former ministers, government officials and businessmen have been arrested and the government recovered millions of pounds.