Paragon Housing scam: Jail officials submit petition to get Salman Rafique treated in hospital
AC directed the jail authorities to inquire into this application as per law and concluded hearing.
LAHORE (Dunya News) – Jail authorities on Tuesday submitted an application seeking treatment of former provincial Health Minister Salman Rafique, who was arrested in a matter pertaining to Paragon Housing scandal, in a hospital.
Accountability court Judge Jawad-ul-Hassan heard the petition where it was stated that Salman Rafique’s health is deteriorating and jail lacks facilities to treat him properly. It was further stated that they have to conduct various tests on his health and he should be allowed to be admitted in a hospital for treatment.
AC directed the jail authorities to inquire into his application as per law and concluded the hearing.
Khawaja Salman Rafique was detained by the National Accountability Bureau in Paragon Housing City scam and sent to Camp Jail on judicial remand.
Earlier, an accountability court in Lahore sent the Khawaja brothers under judicial custody.
A NAB officer had told the court that the chairman of the accountability watchdog had officially approved the reference, and it would soon be presented before the court.
The court, while directing the NAB to speed up filing of the reference, had adjourned the hearing.
On May 16, the court extended their judicial remand till May 30.
On May 2, the court had extended their judicial remand till May 16 in the same case. The Khawaja brothers have been accused of embezzling nearly Rs2 billion.
In all previous hearings, their defense counsel had repeatedly maintained before the court that the details of banking transactions of the last ten years had been handed over to the NAB.
However, NAB’s prosecutor had informed the court that according to records of the Paragon Housing Society an amount of Rs2 billion was transferred to sons of Salman Rafique and Nadeem Zia.
Moreover, the Khawaja brothers are also accused of embezzlement in the scheme by exchanging 50 kanals of their land for 20 two-kanal plots each owned by the Paragon City.
Earlier on April 26, the NAB Lahore approved the filing of a reference against the Khawaja brothers and Nadeem Zia for the alleged corruption in the same case.
The decision was taken in a regional board meeting that was attended by NAB Lahore’s director general and other directors.
According to the handout, Qaiser Amin Butt, the director of Paragon Housing Society, was also included in the inquiry initiated by the NAB, and he was also arrested in November last year. Later, he agreed to turn approver against the Khawaja brothers and Zia.
Butt and Zia established a company “Air Avenue” in the year 2003; however the name was later changed to Paragon City private (Pvt) Limited.
Earlier on Feb 2, the court had rejected a request made by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) for another extension in the physical remand of the Khawaja brothers in the case, and sent them on judicial remand.
On December 11, 2018, they were detained by the accountability watchdog after the Lahore High Court (LHC) rejected their bail plea.
The NAB had launched an investigation into the alleged scam in November last year after a number of victims staged protests and held a press conference at the Lahore Press Club against what they termed the housing society’s fraud.
