LAHORE: An accountability court on Saturday extended physical remand of former railways minister Khwaja Saad Rafiq and his brother ex-Punjab health minister Khwaja Salman Rafiq in Paragon City Housing Society scam.

The officials of the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) produced the Khwaja brothers before the court under strict security arrangements.

NAB Special Prosecutor Waris Ali Janjua filed an application seeking extension in the physical remand of the accused brothers for further investigation.

The prosecutor told the court that during the previous 10-day remand it transpired that Khwaja brothers received Rs100 million approximately from Executive Builders (proxy set-up of Paragon City) in bank accounts of M/s Saadain Associates and M/s KSR Associates.

He said Saad claimed that the money was a payment of commission, however, [he] failed to furnish any document.

At this, Khwaja brothers’ counsel Amjad Pervez stated that the amount of commission received by his clients had already been declared in their tax returns. He accused the bureau of presenting distorted facts before the court.

However, the court extended physical remand of Khwaja brothers till Jan 5 with direction to the NAB to complete the investigation.

In this case, the NAB alleged that Saad through his benamidar wife Ghazala Saad and in connivance with his brother Salman, with the abetment of former MPA Qaiser Amin Butt and Nadeem Zia established a housing project in the name of Air Avenue. It said the project was later converted into a new housing project namely Paragon City Pvt Ltd. It said the record showed that the Paragon City was an illegal society and not approved by the LDA.

The bureau stated that suspects along with other accomplices cheated the public at large and obtained financial benefits from the funds of the illegal society. It said the former railways minister had continuously been receiving benefits from the housing project as he obtained 40 kanal land in his own name and in the name of his brother. It claimed that at least 90 individuals, who were not given plots in the Paragon City despite payments, had filed complaints.

Published in Dawn, December 23rd, 2018