Sugarcane
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ISLAMABAD: The high profile fugitive and former Chairman Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) Tauqir Sadiq has fled to Dubai with the alleged support of some key officials, it is learnt.
Sources confided to The News that Tauqir Sadiq, who is wanted in a multi-billion rupees corruption case, secretly left for Dubai in early October with the connivance of some officials to help him avoid getting probed for the Ogra scam involving Rs82 billion.
Sadiq, who is brother in law of the PPP secretary general Jehangir Badar, is required by NAB and other authorities after the Supreme Court had directed the Bureau to get the Ogra scam probed.
He is wanted for the last few months but has successfully escaped his arrest by hiding in high profile official residences and has now fled Pakistan.It is not yet clear which airport Tauqir Sadiq used to fly out but a source claimed that he had flown out of Lahore airport.
The exact date of his escape is also not known but the source said that he fled in early October. Many in the government, it is claimed, know that Tauqir Sadiq is now in the safe and secure environment of Dubai but fake raids are being conducted for his arrest to befool the people.
Tauqir Sadiq was appointed Chairman Ogra by the former Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani in a clear case of favouritism and despite criticism by the media over the suitability of the PPPs
favourite as head of this important regulatory authority.
On Nov 25 last year, the Supreme Court had declared the appointment of Sadiq as Ogra chairman illegal and had ordered NAB to investigate corruption cases against him and submit its findings within 45 days.
According to the NAB investigation the former chairman Ogra had converted the operating income of two public utilities the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines and Sui Southern Gas Company into non-operating income, resulting in a Rs38 billion additional burden on consumers and eroding the gas development surcharge.
Following the directions of the apex court, the NAB and other law enforcing agencies have been apparently making efforts to get the accused arrested but they always failed to do so.
While Sadiq had already flown to Dubai but the media was made to believe by the authorities that the fugitive was hiding in one of the top official residences in Islamabad or Lahore. The media was told a few weeks back police raided some places in Islamabad, including the Punjab House, to arrest the accused, but in vain.
The authorities even claimed that Sadiq was in Islamabad and that he had left Lahore after some places had been searched there. In the Punjab House, the team was reported to have searched the suite of PPP general secretary and Leader of the House in Senate Jehangir Badr.
A farm house in Islamabad was also reported to have been raided to get Sadiq arrested while the wanted man was sitting in Dubai.
NAB officials were once quoted having said that the motorway police authorities did not permit the team to arrest the former Ogra chief when he was travelling on the road.
On Oct 5 the Supreme Court set the deadline of Oct 8 to arrest Mr Sadiq. The court ruled that if NAB failed to arrest the former Ogra chief by Oct 8, it would proceed with the case from Oct 15.
Only recently the NAB prepared a reference against Mr Sadiq, Ogra Member (Gas) Mansoor Ali Muzaffar, Member (Finance) Mir Kamal Farid Bijarani and Staff Officer Jawad Jamil in the case.
They were accused of misusing authority, embezzlement and causing loss to the national exchequer of Rs45 billion by converting the operating income into non-operating income in violation of an agreement signed with the Asian Development Bank and World Bank, relocation of compressed natural gas (CNG) stations, illegal appointments etc.
Wanted ex-Ogra chief escapes to Dubai dodging everyone
Sources confided to The News that Tauqir Sadiq, who is wanted in a multi-billion rupees corruption case, secretly left for Dubai in early October with the connivance of some officials to help him avoid getting probed for the Ogra scam involving Rs82 billion.
Sadiq, who is brother in law of the PPP secretary general Jehangir Badar, is required by NAB and other authorities after the Supreme Court had directed the Bureau to get the Ogra scam probed.
He is wanted for the last few months but has successfully escaped his arrest by hiding in high profile official residences and has now fled Pakistan.It is not yet clear which airport Tauqir Sadiq used to fly out but a source claimed that he had flown out of Lahore airport.
The exact date of his escape is also not known but the source said that he fled in early October. Many in the government, it is claimed, know that Tauqir Sadiq is now in the safe and secure environment of Dubai but fake raids are being conducted for his arrest to befool the people.
Tauqir Sadiq was appointed Chairman Ogra by the former Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani in a clear case of favouritism and despite criticism by the media over the suitability of the PPPs
favourite as head of this important regulatory authority.
On Nov 25 last year, the Supreme Court had declared the appointment of Sadiq as Ogra chairman illegal and had ordered NAB to investigate corruption cases against him and submit its findings within 45 days.
According to the NAB investigation the former chairman Ogra had converted the operating income of two public utilities the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines and Sui Southern Gas Company into non-operating income, resulting in a Rs38 billion additional burden on consumers and eroding the gas development surcharge.
Following the directions of the apex court, the NAB and other law enforcing agencies have been apparently making efforts to get the accused arrested but they always failed to do so.
While Sadiq had already flown to Dubai but the media was made to believe by the authorities that the fugitive was hiding in one of the top official residences in Islamabad or Lahore. The media was told a few weeks back police raided some places in Islamabad, including the Punjab House, to arrest the accused, but in vain.
The authorities even claimed that Sadiq was in Islamabad and that he had left Lahore after some places had been searched there. In the Punjab House, the team was reported to have searched the suite of PPP general secretary and Leader of the House in Senate Jehangir Badr.
A farm house in Islamabad was also reported to have been raided to get Sadiq arrested while the wanted man was sitting in Dubai.
NAB officials were once quoted having said that the motorway police authorities did not permit the team to arrest the former Ogra chief when he was travelling on the road.
On Oct 5 the Supreme Court set the deadline of Oct 8 to arrest Mr Sadiq. The court ruled that if NAB failed to arrest the former Ogra chief by Oct 8, it would proceed with the case from Oct 15.
Only recently the NAB prepared a reference against Mr Sadiq, Ogra Member (Gas) Mansoor Ali Muzaffar, Member (Finance) Mir Kamal Farid Bijarani and Staff Officer Jawad Jamil in the case.
They were accused of misusing authority, embezzlement and causing loss to the national exchequer of Rs45 billion by converting the operating income into non-operating income in violation of an agreement signed with the Asian Development Bank and World Bank, relocation of compressed natural gas (CNG) stations, illegal appointments etc.
Wanted ex-Ogra chief escapes to Dubai dodging everyone
