OGRA scam: Tauqir Sadiq’s houses confiscated

NAB pastes proclamation orders on the walls of three houses in Lahore and three in Islamabad.

LAHORE:

The people living in the lavish homes owned by Tauqir Sadiq, the absconding former chief of Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) woke up on Tuesday to find out that these upscale properties have been confiscated by the order of the court.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) teams visited the houses owned by Sadiq, the principal accused in the multi-billion rupee scam, in Lahore and Islamabad to serve the confiscation orders of the properties. His bank accounts have already been confiscated.

The NAB Rawalpindi team headed by Waqas Ahmad Khan, the investigation officer of OGRA case, along with personnel of NAB Punjab chapter and police also pasted the proclamation orders of the court on the properties owned by Tauqir Sadiq, The Express Tribune has learnt. Proclamations orders of the court require the absconding person to appear before the bench.

According to the directives of the Accountability Court Rawalpindi, Sadiq’s house number 96-F Model Town, farm house No77 and farm house No7 on Raiwind Road have been confiscated.

The confiscation orders were handed to the brothers of Tauqir Sadiq identified as Tanveer Sadiq and Tauseef Sadiq residing in farm house No77 and farm house No7 respectively and to the residents of the house in Model Town.

The NAB has also pasted the copies of proclamation orders of Tauqir Sadiq at three places in Islamabad including House No633, Street 24, Margala Town, House No52, F-11/2 and a house in Judicial Colony Islamabad .The NAB team also served confiscation orders of these properties with effect from Aril 18, 2013.

Illegal approvals

NAB has also sought details from OGRA authorities regarding approval of 650 CNG station licenses by former prime ministers Yousaf Raza Gilani and Raja Pervaiz Ashraf despite a ban.

IUn addition to this, NAB also sought details regarding the giving of a one-time approval from the cabinet for importing 59 containers of CNG cylinders in contravention of laws by the former advisor of petroleum ministry Dr Asim Hussain and former finance minister Saleem Mandviwala.

Chief Justice Iftikhar Chaudhry on Monday had taken suo motu notice of reports of alleged wrongdoing in issuing CNG station licenses during the tenure of former premiers Gilani and Ashraf.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 3^rd, 2013.