LAHORE – An accountability court in Lahore extended judicial remand of Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PMLN) leader and Member of the National Assembly (MNA) Khawaja Saad Rafique and his brother Salman Rafique for another 14 days in connection to the Paragon Housing scam case.
The Khawaja brothers were presented before the accountability court after their judicial remand ended today.
The Khawaja brothers have been accused of embezzling nearly Rs2 billion.
Meanwhile, a heavy contingent of police was deployed around the court to prevent party workers from disrupting law and order situation during their appearance.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/pakistan/court-approves-two-day-transit-remand-of-saad-rafique/
Earlier on Feb 2, the court had rejected a request made by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for another extension in the physical remand of the Khawaja brothers in the case and sent them on 14-day judicial remand which ended on Feb 16.
NAB’s prosecutor had informed the court that according to records of the Paragon Housing Society an amount of Rs2 billion was transferred to sons of Salman Rafique and Nadim Zia, and 20 plots were owned by the Khawaja brothers.
While talking to media, Rafique criticised federal finance minister Asad Umar for his statement regarding the bailout from the IMF. He said that the federal finance minister’s statement implies that financial situation of the country will worsen.
He said that “The country has fallen into wrong hands,” he said, adding that in Naya Pakistan there is nothing for poverty-stricken people.
Saad Rafique and his brother Salman Rafique were arrested by the NAB on December 11 last year in Paragon Housing Scam and they are on judicial remand till April 4.
https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/nab-arrests-saad-salman-rafique-from-lhc/
Rafique is accused of holding major shares in Paragon City housing society located in Lahore, however, the politician denies this and contends he only owns a few houses and land in the society.
According to NAB, Saad Rafique colluded with his wife, brother, Qaiser Amin Butt and Nadeem Zia to form the said society.
Khawaja Saad Rafique had branded NAB as a “black law that had been utilized to victimise political opponents since its inception”.
“Even the accountability during the PML-N government was not transparent,” Rafique had conceded during his NA speech in December last year.
