Fugitive Pakistani oil chief set to be deported from UAE

ABU DHABI // A former oil and gas chief wanted in Pakistan for embezzling US$850 million (Dh3.12 billion) is to be deported once UAE authorities process documents handed over by Islamabad, the Pakistani Embassy said.

Tauquir Sadiq, who fled Pakistan a year ago, was arrested last week by Abu Dhabi Police acting on an Interpol alert.

He is accused of taking kickbacks and commissions when he was the head of Pakistan’s Oil and Gas Regulatory Authority between 2009 and 2011.

“We believe he will be deported as soon as possible when the documentation and legal formalities are completed,” said Jamil Ahmed Khan, Pakistan’s ambassador to the UAE.

A three-member team from the National Accountability Bureau (Nab), Pakistan’s top anti-corruption department, visited Abu Dhabi last week to submit the required documentation.

An arrest warrant by the supreme court in Islamabad was presented to UAE authorities and Mr Sadiq’s passport was cancelled by the Pakistan government as part of the deportation requirements.

“The UAE government has been very cooperative and his deportation depends on the quick processing of documentation,” Mr Khan said.

The Nab team will return to the UAE to escort Mr Sadiq to Pakistan.

Although the two countries have an extradition treaty in place, Pakistani authorities believe the deportation process will be quicker.

The case has also led to court action against Pakistan’s prime minister, Raja Pervez Ashraf, the interior minister, Rehman Malik, and another senior member of the ruling Pakistan People’s Party over Mr Sadiq’s appointment to the top oil and gas position in 2009.