ISLAMABAD, May 23: PPP’s two former prime ministers, Yousuf Raza Gilnai and Raja Pervez Ashraf, have been summoned by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for questioning over the alleged illegal appointment of Tauqeer Sadiq as chairman of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra).

“Mr Ashraf and Mr Gilani have been summoned on May 26 and May 27, respectively,” NAB’s Prosecutor General K.K. Agha informed the Supreme Court on Thursday.

He told the three-member bench headed by Justice Jawwad S. Khawaja that notices had been served on both ex-premiers, adding that former adviser to petroleum ministry Dr Asim Hussain had also been summoned in the same case on May 30.

Mr Ashraf is also facing charges in the Rental Power Projects (RPPs) scam being pursued by NAB in the Supreme Court. He has been accused of receiving kickbacks and commission in award of contracts to nine rental power companies in 2008. On May 17, he appeared before NAB’s investigators and recorded his statement in the RPP case.

Mr Ashraf ran in the elections for a seat in the National Assembly but suffered defeat.

Mr Gilani is also going through a bad patch since he was disqualified and removed from office of the prime minister on June 19, 2012, by the apex court in a contempt case. Because of his disqualification he could not contest the recent elections while his two sons and bother lost elections. His third son Ali Haider Gilani, who was contesting for a Punjab Assembly seat, was kidnapped outside his house in Multan on May 9 and has not returned.

NAB spokesman Ramzan Sajid refused to give details of the case in which the two PPP leaders have been summoned. “As the matter is under investigation…details…cannot be shared with the media at this stage,” he said.

Mr Sadiq, who has already been declared a proclaimed offender, is also the principal accused in a Rs82 billion corruption scam. He fled abroad soon after the Supreme Court declared his appointment as Ogra chief illegal on Nov 25, 2011.

The apex court was informed that Mr Ashraf was chairman and federal secretaries Zafar Mehmood and Nargis Sethi were members of the interview board that approved the appointment of Mr Sadiq. Mr Gilani was prime minister at the time.

On April 17, 2011, the Higher Education Commission declared the master’s degree of Mr Sadiq fake.

Mr Sadiq, brother-in-law of then PPP secretary general Jehangir Badar, said in a statement that his master’s degree had nothing to do with his appointment since the qualification required for the slot of Ogra chairman, as mentioned in section 3 of the Ogra Ordinance, was an LLB degree and 20 years of experience.

“I did my LLB in 1987 and have 22 years of experience, so I am eligible for the post of Ogra chairman even without this master’s degree,” he said.

Earlier, the Supreme Court had set Oct 5, 2012, as deadline to arrest Mr Sadiq. On Nov 25, the court declared Mr Sadiq’s appointment illegal and ordered NAB to investigate corruption cases against him and submit its findings within 45 days.

Mr Sadiq fled abroad despite the fact that his name was on the ECL. NAB arrested him in Dubai with the help of Interpol but failed to bring him back to the country. He was detained in Al Wathba Prison Abu Dhabi on Feb 14. “We are waiting for the decision of Dubai court regarding deportation of Tauqeer Sadiq to be announced on May 30,” NAB’s prosecutor general told the Supreme Court.—Syed Irfan Raza