Lahore (Staff Report): An accountability court on Saturday extended judicial remand of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Saad Rafique and his brother Salman Rafique by 16 days in the Paragon Housing scam case.
The PML-N lawmakers were presented before the court amid tight security as their judicial remand ended today. The court granted a 16-day extension in Khawaja brothers’ judicial remand and ordered to present them on March 4.
Accountability court judge Syed Najmul Hasan inquired about progress in finalising a reference. The investigation officer told the court that the reference would be presented before the 90-day mark of the PML-N leaders’ incarceration.
The court then ordered the authorities to submit final report against Khawaja brothers. The court also directed the investigation officer to speed up the investigation and file a reference.
Speaking to the newsmen outside the court premises, Khawaj Saad Rafique while criticizing the Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) government, said that they will not always remain in power and what they were doing was wrong.
On February 2, the accountability court had rejected National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) request for an extension in the physical remand of Khawaja Saad Rafique and his brother Salman Rafique in the and sent them to jail on 14-day judicial remand.
On February 2, sent the Khawaja brothers to jail on 14-day judicial remand after rejecting the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) request for an extension in their physical remand.
On December 11, 2018, NAB arrested Pakistan Railways former minister Khawaja Saad Rafique and his brother Salman Rafique after the Lahore High Court (LHC) turned down their plea seeking extension in interim bail in a case regarding Paragon Housing Society scandal.
NAB Lahore had issued a press release after the arrest stating that “accused 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. Record shows that M/S Paragon City is an illegal society.”
“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 bureau said.
