An accountability court on Saturday extended the physical remand of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Saad Rafique and his brother, Salman Rafique, by another 15 days.
The two leaders are under custody in connection with the Paragon Housing Society investigations.
Earlier in the day, the two leaders were presented before an accountability court in Lahore. Saad was brought to Lahore from Islamabad where he was on transit remand since December 20 to attend the National Assembly session.
During the hearing, a NAB investigation officer informed the court that Qaiser Amin Butt, another PML-N politician under investigation, had said in his statement that the Rafique brothers were the owners of Paragon City. “Under this project, commercial plots worth Rs2 billion were illegally sold. While, patwaris have told us that 40 kanals of government land was also sold. We have to record the statements of those who bought this land,” the investigation officer added.
The two brothers were arrested by NAB on December 11 after the Lahore High Court (LHC) rejected their request for an extension in their pre-arrest bail in the case pertaining to the housing society scam. Speaking to the media at the accountability court, Saad Rafique said that under Imran Khan’s premiership, the country was in a state of civil dictatorship. He said the behavior of state institutions would prove detrimental for the country’s wellbeing. “Rather than leveling baseless allegations against each other people should sit together for national progress,” the former railways’ minister said.
Asked about the attitude of NAB officials, the PML-N leader said that he had cordial relations with personnel deployed on his security. “I don’t want to wrongly accuse anyone,” he said.
In a press release issued following the Rafique brothers’ arrest, the NAB had stated that Saad Rafique along with his benamidaar wife Ghazala Saad Rafique, brother Salman Rafique in association with Qaiser Amin Butt and Nadeem Zia established a housing project in the name of Air Avenue which was converted into a new housing project namely M/S Paragon City Pvt Limited. The statement claimed that M/S Paragon City was an illegal society. “Accused in collusion, connivance and collaboration of Qaiser Amin Butt and Nadeem Zia cheated the members of public at large and obtained illegal pecuniary benefits from the funds of said illegal housing project.” Further, it stated, “Accused is operating this illegal housing project through his associates/co-accused persons who are collecting deposits from general public despite clear directions from LDA that this project is unapproved.
“Accused has been and is continuously obtaining illegal/ illegitimate funds/ benefits from said project as he obtained 40 kanal plots in his own name and the name of his brother Salman Rafique.”
The press release continued, “Accused by misusing his official position continued the expansion and marketing of illegal housing project and also obtained undue benefits in the form of sale of numbers of commercial plots worth billions of rupees which were actually not owned by M/S Paragon City. Thus the buyers have been cheated through this action of corruption and corrupt practices.”
Published in Daily Times, December 23rd 2018.
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