ISLAMABAD, Oct 8: Despite making hectic efforts, the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) and Punjab police failed on Monday to lay their hands on Tauqir Sadiq, the former chairman of the Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (Ogra) allegedly involved in a Rs45 billion scam.

He is believed to be hiding in the federal capital.

“A joint team of NAB and Punjab police raided some places in Islamabad, including the Punjab House, to arrest the accused, but in vain,” the bureau’s spokesman Zafar Iqbal told Dawn.

He said the investigators believed that Mr Sadiq was in Islamabad and that he had left Lahore on Sunday night after some places had been searched there.

In the Punjab House, the team went to the suite of PPP general secretary and Leader of the House in Senate Jehangir Badr who is said to be a relative of the accused.

The raid was condemned during the Senate proceedings.

“The NAB and police will keep a vigilant eye on some other places where the accused can hide,” the spokesman said.

The bureau had decided on Sept 5 to file a reference against Mr Sadiq, Ogra Member (Gas) Mansoor Ali Muzaffar, Member (Finance) Mir Kamal Farid Bijarani and Staff Officer Jawad Jamil in the case.

“They are accused of misusing authority, embezzlement and causing loss to the national exchequer of Rs44.57 billion by converting the operating income into non-operating income in violation of an agreement signed with the Asian Development Bank and World Bank, relocation of compressed natural gas (CNG) stations, illegal appointments etc,” the spokesman said.

A raiding party, including officials, of the Federal Investigation Agency, also went to a farmhouse of Mr Badr’s brother in Lahore but did not find Mr Sadiq there.

It is believed that he left for Islamabad in a black car by the motorway.

According to NAB officials, the motorway police authorities did not permit the team to arrest the former Ogra chief when he was travelling on the road. On Oct 5 the Supreme Court set the deadline of Oct 8 to arrest Mr Sadiq. The court ruled that if NAB failed to arrest the former Ogra chief by Oct 8, it would proceed with the case from Oct 15.

On Nov 25 last year, the Supreme Court declared the appointment of Mr Sadiq as Ogra chairman illegal and ordered NAB to investigate corruption cases against him and submit its findings within 45 days.

The court observed that Prime Minister Raja Pervez Ashraf was one of the five people involved in the illegal appointment.

The NAB investigation team observed that the former chairman had converted the operating income of two public utilities — the Sui Northern Gas Pipelines and Sui Southern Gas Company — into non-operating income, resulting in a Rs38 billion additional burden on consumers and eroding the gas development surcharge.

Mr Sadiq is also accused of illegally appointing 50 officers after creating new posts.