Paragon Housing scam: Saad, Salman Rafique sent to jail on 14-day judicial remand

LAHORE: An accountability court on Saturday sent Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) leader Khawaja Saad Rafique and his brother, Salman Rafique, to jail on 14-day judicial remand after rejecting the National Accountability Bureau's (NAB) request for an extension in their physical remand in connection to the Paragon Housing Society scam.

On December 11, NAB arrested the Rafique brothers after the Lahore High Court (LHC) rejected their request for an extension in their pre-arrest bail in the case pertaining to the housing society scam.

During today's hearing, NAB requested for another extension in the physical remand of the Rafique brothers, however, accountability court Judge Syed Najamul Hassan issued orders to send the brothers to jail till February 16.

NAB allegations

Following their arrests, NAB Lahore had issued a press release and stated that, "Accused Saad Rafique along with his benamidaar wife Ghazala Saad Rafique, brother Salman Rafique in association with Qaiser Amin Butt and Nadeem Zia established a housing project in the name of Air Avenue which was converted into a new housing project namely M/S Paragon City Pvt Limited. Record shows that M/S Paragon City is an illegal society."

“Accused in collusion, connivance and collaboration of Qaiser Amin Butt and Nadeem Zia cheated the members of public at large and obtained illegal pecuniary benefits from the funds of said illegal housing project," it added.

Further, it stated, "Accused is operating this illegal housing project through his associates/ co-accused persons who are collecting deposits from general public despite clear directions from LDA that this project is unapproved."

"Accused has been and is continuously obtaining illegal/ illegitimate funds/ benefits from said project as he obtained 40 kanal plots in his own name and the name of his brother Salman Rafique.”

The press release continued, “Accused by misusing his official position continued the expansion and marketing of illegal housing project and also obtained undue benefits in the form of sale of numbers of commercial plots worth billions of rupees which were actually not owned by M/S Paragon City. Thus the buyers have been cheated through this action of corruption and corrupt practices."