Ogra chairman appointment: NAB reprimanded for inaction against bigwigs

SC directs bureau to submit report on its action against illegal appointment of Tauqir Sadiq.

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has directed the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) to submit a comprehensive report regarding action taken against the illegal appointment of former Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) chairman Tauqir Sadiq.

A perplexed Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry questioned the bureau’s inaction against the influential, saying that they should be brought to task like any other ordinary citizen would be. “Proceeding should be initiated against those who are involved in protecting an accused,” the chief justice warned.

Although NAB said its prime interest was to recover taxpayers’ money rather than criminal proceedings, a three-judge bench directed the bureau to submit a detailed report of what action it had taken against Sadiq’s appointment.

The court also directed the bureau to waste no time in arresting the former chairman and initiate proceedings against him.

NAB Deputy Prosecutor General Fauzi Kazmi told the court that a reference had been finalised against Sadiq, and would be filed in the next couple of days.

He also submitted details of NAB’s terms of reference (ToR) and minutes of the executive board meetings relating to the matter.

While defending the delay in implementation of the court’s order, the deputy prosecutor said that Sadiq had gone ‘underground’ in Lahore, adding that the bureau did not have any clue about his whereabouts.

He added that the bureau had followed up on all possible addresses to locate the former chairman, but to no avail.

Kazmi claimed that Sadiq was being protected by the Punjab Police, since he was a close relative of PPP Secretary General Senator Jahangir Badar.

The court directed NAB to continue with their search nonetheless and arrest Sadiq soon. “Corruption is rampant in the country and it is the NAB’s mandate to curb the menace,” observed Justice Chaudhry.

The chief justice also pointed out that the selection committee member who finalised Sadiq’s name as the Ogra chairman was, in fact, the incumbent prime minister.

The court adjourned the hearing of the case till October 4.

Published in The Express Tribune, October 3^rd, 2012.