Court adjourns hearing of Paragon City reference till Aug 23

LAHORE (APP): An accountability court on Friday adjourned the hearing of Paragon City reference against former railways minister Khwaja Saad Rafique and his brother Khwaja Salman Rafique till August 23.
Earlier, the duo appeared before Duty Judge Asad Ali, who conducted the reference proceedings due to transfer of the judge concerned. The court, after marking attendance of Khwaja brothers, adjourned further proceedings till August 23.
The court had recorded statements of 9 prosecution witnesses so far, whereas the total number of witnesses is 130.
The National accountability Bureau (NAB) had alleged that the Khwaja brothers, through their benamidars, and with the abetment of former MPA Qaiser Amin Butt and Nadeem Zia, established a housing project in the name of Air Avenue, which was later converted into Paragon City without adopting a lawful process. NAB accused the former railways minister and his brother of receiving monetary benefits of Rs 58 million and Rs39 million, respectively from the Paragon City project through proxy firms, under the grab of consultancy services.