Ogra Scam: NAB plea against Sadiq’s bail accepted

Additional PG NAB submits that the accused was arrested on July 9, 2013.

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has accepted for regular hearing the National Accountability Bureau’s (NAB) petition seeking the cancellation of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority’s ex-chairman Tauqir Sadiq’s bail over fears that he may try to flee the country. A three-judge bench, headed by Justice Jawwad S Khawaja, issued a notice to Sadiq, the principal accused in the Rs82 billion Ogra scam and adjourned the hearing till the second week of April. During the hearing, NAB Additional Prosecutor General Akbar Tarar contended that NAB’s submission of a reference in the case was rendered ineffective after the high court granted Sadiq bail on March 12. He added that the accused has been brought back to Pakistan from the UAE following a protracted legal battle and there are apprehensions that he will misuse the concession of bail to flee. On the court’s query, Additional PG NAB submitted that the accused was arrested on July 9, 2013.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 22^nd, 2014.