The FIA was tasked by the Supreme Court to investigate the grant of CNG station licences and relocation of sites by Ogra. PHOTO: FILE
LAHORE:
More than three months after the Supreme Court’s orders, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) has yet to take possession of record from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) pertaining to grant of 650 illegal compressed natural gas (CNG) station licences, reveal official documents.
A letter sent to the NAB Punjab director general on January 7 this year with the stamp and signature of FIA Punjab Director Dr Usman Anwar stated that cases related to the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) scam may be received from the FIA in compliance with the orders of the Supreme Court given on December 3, 2013.
The letter, titled “Suo motu case – action against grant of 450 and 200 illegal CNG station licences during the tenure of two former prime ministers Yousaf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervez Ashraf”, also quoted some parts of the court verdict.
It read “an exercise has also been undertaken to inquire into the grant of licences to the CNG stations. These were prima facie issued from time to time and are delinked and this aspect of the case is to be heard along with the case of implementation in the case of appointment of Tauqir Sadiq … and the court shall decide it on the basis of evidence recorded by the FIA independently.
“The FIA is directed to hand it over to NAB where proceedings against Tauqir Sadiq (former Ogra chairman) are pending.”
However, so far, no response has been received from NAB Punjab. The letter, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, called for taking early possession of the record of the Ogra scam from the FIA Punjab office.
The FIA Punjab chapter has filed 14 cases against the accused for allegedly relocating or reallocating CNG station sites through fraudulent letters on Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) letter heads.
The FIA was tasked by the Supreme Court to investigate the grant of CNG station licences and relocation of sites by Ogra.
Commenting on the issue, NAB spokesman Ramzan Sajid acknowledged that the FIA had approached NAB in January this year, asking to take control of the record of cases about illegal CNG stations.
He said the FIA’s request was considered in the light of court’s orders and the matter was referred to the prosecution division for its opinion as a part of the case was already being investigated by NAB.
After approval, the NAB headquarters instructed NAB Rawalpindi to collect the record from the FIA without any delay, he said, adding part of this case after investigation had been filed as a reference in the Accountability Court.
In a separate case, Sajid said NAB had approached the FIA in the light of Supreme Court’s judgment for taking possession of the record of National Insurance Company Limited (NICL) cases. The FIA intimated that FIRs had been registered in eight cases of the scam and challans to that effect had been submitted in relevant courts.
Accordingly, he said, NAB approached these courts for the transfer of cases to Accountability Courts.
So far, seven cases had been shifted to Accountability Courts and the remaining one was in final stages of being transferred, the spokesman said.
Published in The Express Tribune, March 12th, 2014.
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