LAHORE:
A judicial magistrate on Saturday extended the physical remand of a former Lahore Electric Supply Company (Lesco) chief executive officer (CEO) for two more days. Arshad Rafique faces charges of corruption, abuse of power and causing loss to the public exchequer.
The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) officials had requested the court to extend Rafique’s remand for seven days to let them investigate the charges against him.
However, Rafique’s lawyer said the FIA had the same plea at the previous hearing. The counsel requested the court to send Rafique to jail.
The court gave two more days to the FIA to interrogate the suspect.
The FIA claimed to have seized Rs644,000 and 49 tolas of gold from Rafique’s home, Rs3.5 million from his bank account and Rs409,727 in his wife’s account.
The agency says Rafique also had 80 Kanals land in Lagar village of Sheikhupura district, a one Kanal plot in DHA Phase 7 and a one Kanal house in Paragon City, Burki Road. The FIA had earlier registered three separate FIRs against Rafique.
In the first, the agency accused him of supplying electricity to industrial units instead of residential areas. The second FIR deals with purchase of costly transformers. The third case relates to assets beyond known means. Rafique has been granted bail in the first two cases. However, he has not been given bail in the third case yet.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 13th, 2014.
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