LAHORE: The Lahore High Court on Wednesday granted post-arrest bail to the former director general of oil and three other officials of the Oil and Gas regulatory Authority (Ogra) in fuel prices scam being investigated by the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).

Justice Safdar Saleem Shahid allowed the bail petitions of former DG Oil Dr Shafiur Rehman, member oil Dr Abdullah Malik, director oil marketing companies Nadeem Butt and research officer of energy and petroleum division Imran Ali Abro.

The judge directed the petitioners to furnish bail bonds of Rs500,000 each.The FIA alleged that the suspects were involved in billion of rupees fraud committed through price fluctuation and hoarding of petroleum products that also created an artificial shortage.

The agency also accused the owners of oil marketing companies of laundering the money accumulated through fraud in the prices.

The FIA had initiated the inquiry on the direction of the Lahore High Court.

The court had directed the government to release the report of a commission into artificial shortage of petroleum products immediately.

The government on July 28, 2020, constituted the commission, which made the probe while taking on board all stakeholders.

In this case, Ogra former chairperson Uzma Adil and others are on pre-arrest bail granted by the trial court.

Published in Dawn, February 3rd, 2022