ISLAMABAD Complications and confusions in awarding multimillion-dollar Liquefied Natural Gas (LNG) contract start resolving before the Supreme Court during the hearing of this suo moto case on Wednesday. Interesting aspect of this scam came to surface when Senior Project Director LNG SSG, Mohammad Naeem Sharafat, confessed before a three members bench of the apex court, headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chuadhry and comprising Justice Ghulam Rabbani and Justice Ch Ijaz Ahmad, that irregularities were committed in the contract. The bench directed concerned stakeholders, who are involved in this scam, to submit their replies and appear before the court on April 21st. Naeem Sharafat further informed the apex court that they had conveyed their concern to the Ministry over award of contract but certain quarters exerted pressure on them. It is relevant to mention here that the court has recorded his statement. SM Zafar, the counsel for Petroleum and Natural Resources Ministry, apprised the bench that date for award of contract had been extended and no contract would be signed till the decision of the apex court in this regard. Senior journalist Rauf Klasra informed the court that top officials in Ministry of Petroleum and Natural Resources had awarded a multimillion dollars contract for 3.5 million tons LNG import to a French firm after ignoring the lowest bid jointly offered by Vitol and Fauji Foundation. The apex court ordered Managing Director SSG, Senior Project Manager LNG SSG Mohammad Naeem Sharafat and Chairman Fauji Foundation General (Retd) Hamid Rab Nawaz to submit their separate statements in this connection. Secretary Ministry of Finance Salman Siddique and Special Secretary Ministry of Petroleum, GS Sabri were directed to appear before the court on the next hearing. General (Retd) Hamid Rab Nawaz apprised the bench that FF had pulled out of first Mashal Project on two reasons; firstly the Government could not guarantee it and secondly the price of project was too high. He said in second bidding, the Foundation held negotiations with the Committee, and the Ministry wanted decrease in LNG volume and price, which were adjusted accordingly but the project was awarded to some other bidder. He was asked to submit his concise statement within three days.