Islamabad, Aug 1 (IANS): An accountability court on Thursday extended the physical remand of former Prime Minister and Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Shahid Khaqan Abbasi till August 15 in an ongoing probe into a multi-billion-rupee corruption case related to the awarding of a contract to a liquified natural gas firm.

Judge Muhammad Bashir conducted the hearing in the morning as the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) produced Abbasi before the court and requested for an extension in his physical remand, Geo News reported.

The former Premier was arrested by the anti-corruption watchdog in July. He is facing the accusation of handing over a tender worth Rs 220 billion in 2013 to a company in which he was a shareholder himself. At the time, he was the Minister of Petroleum and Natural Resources.

Abbasi is also named in the Exit Control List. He is one of the several high-profile politicians arrested in Prime Minister Imran Khan's "accountability" drive.

According to the NAB arrest warrant, Abbasi is accused of commission of the offence of corruption and corrupt practices under section 9 (a) of National Accountability Ordinance, 1999.