Former OGRA chairman Tauqir Sadiq, who is facing investigation for his alleged involvement in 82 billion corruption scandal, Saturday filed a petition in the Islamabad High Court against the decision of accountability court for awarding him three-year imprisonment in absentia.
The accountability court, a couple of months back, had awarded three-year imprisonment to Touqir Sadiq over his failure to appear before the court. However, the accused, through Advocate Asmat Ullah, filed a writ petition in the IHC challenging the accountability court’s decision.
The petitioner contended that he could not appear before the court in May 2013 when the court awarded him imprisonment in absentia as he was in the custody of UAE authorities.
The petitioner prayed the court to declare the accountability court’s decision as null and void. The writ branch of the IHC accepted the petition which is yet to be fixed for hearing.
Presently, Tauqir Sadiq is in the custody of NAB on 14-day physical remand which will expire on July 23.
The Supreme Court after declaring Sadiq’s appointment as OGRA chief illegal on November 25, 2012, had ordered the NAB to arrest him. However, the accused, who is a close relative of PPP senior leader Jahangir Badr, in connivance with some influential politicians managed to escape although his name was on the exit control list. Later, he was declared as proclaimed offender.
Sadiq is accused of converting the operating income of two public utilities – the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines and Sui Southern Gas Company – into non-operating income resulting in Rs 38 billion additional burden on consumers and eroding the gas development surcharge. He is also accused of receiving heavy kick backs from various projects in OGRA.