Judge approves NAB reference against Rauf Siddiqui

The administrative judge of accountability courts has approved a reference against Abdul Rauf Siddiqui, former provincial minister for industries and commerce belonging to the Muttahida Qaumi Movement, and others for making illegal appointments at the Sindh Small Industries Corporation.

The National Accountability Bureau (NAB) had filed a reference against him and around a dozen others for causing loss to the national exchequer by making illegal appointments at the corporation between 2008 and 2012. According to the anti-graft watchdog, the suspects made around 372 appointments against the merit and the code and this caused a loss of Rs420 million to the exchequer. The bureau alleged that most of the inductions were made on a political basis.

The judge ordered Siddiqui and six others, all of whom are on bail, to appear in court on the next hearing. Meanwhile, the court issued non-bailable warrants for the arrests of the suspects on the run.

KPT allotment case

An accountability court sent a suspect, Gulab Khan, allegedly involved in illegal allotments of plots in the Karachi Port Trust Society, to jail on judicial remand till July 1.

NAB had arrested Khan in connection with a case against Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz leader and former ports and shipping minister Kamran Michael, accusing him of colluding with the minister in the illegal allotments of plots.

The reference against Michael and four others was approved in May this year after which it was presented before the court. According to NAB, the suspects illegally sold three commercial plots in the society against a bribe of Rs110 million.