The Islamabad High Court on Wednesday granted bail to former chairman Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority (OGRA) Tauqeer Sadiq in Rs 82 billion OGRA scam. A two-member bench of IHC comprising Justice Riaz Ahmed Khan and Justice Noor-ul-Haq N Qureshi granted the bail and directed Sadiq to deposit surety bonds of Rs 1 million.
It is pertinent to mention that the bench accepted Sadiq's appeal against three-year conviction in his absence. The court declared the verdict of accountability court against the accused null and void; however, earlier the court rejected his bail petition as well. The counsel for the petitioner pleaded that his client was convicted in absentia and was denied an opportunity to defend himself, a fundamental right given to every citizen. A National Accountability Bureau (NAB) court had sentenced Sadiq to three-year imprisonment on May 7, 2013, under the NAB Ordinance after he repeatedly failed to appear before the court.
Comments
Comments are closed.