Tauqir Sadiq's return postponed to February 26: FIA

Abu Dhabi authorities postpone return of Ex OGRA Chief Tauqir Sadiq till February 26.

The Abu Dhabi government has postponed the return of former Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) Chief Tauqir Sadiq till February 26, Express News reported.

The government there said that the detention had been extended because Sadiq's passport was expired.

Till February 14, Sadiq was kept in UAE’s Khalildia Detention Centre, but has since been moved a local centralized jail in the emirate.

Federal Investigative Agency (FIA) and the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) have told the Supreme Court about the the decision which has been questioned by the judicial authority.

The apex court has questioned that if former OGRA chief's passport was already invalid, then on what pretext was he being detained in Abu Dhabi.

The court also asked the FIA if they received any written documentation regarding Sadiq's detention.

In his reply to the court, NAB's prosecutor general said that he wrote to the UAE embassy regarding his deportation on February 13 but has not received any response yet.

The Director Legal of the FIA informed the court about a letter from Interpol saying that because of certain agreements between the Pakistani and UAE governments, Sadiq could not be deported in the absence of proper documentation.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had instructed the NAB and FIA a February 14 deadline to work together and bring back Sadiq from UAE.

Sighting lengthy paperwork procedures, these authorities  failed to deliver Sadiq by the deadline.

The former Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) chairman is suspected of embezzlingRs 83 billion during his tenure. He fled Pakistan for Abu Dhabi after the Supreme Court declared his appointment illegal in a case hearing on November 25, 2011.