ISLAMABAD – The Supreme Court Thursday ordered NAB to file references against Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf, Interior Minister Rehman Malik and Senator Jehangir Badr over illegal appointment of former Ogra chief Tauqir Sadiq and helping him flee the country. A two-member bench, comprising Justice Jawwad S Khawaja and Justice Khilji Arif Hussain, heard the case pertaining to non-implementation of the court’s order against the former boss of Ogra wanted in mega corruption scam.In a startling revelation, National Accountability Bureau (NAB) Director Irfan Baig informed the court that Rehman Malik and Leader of the House in Senate Jehangir Badr, who is also general secretary of Pakistan People’s Party, helped Tauqir escape from the country. He also told the court that a report to file reference against these two “protectors of the accused” had been sent to the NAB chairman for approval.To a court query regarding the persons who approved the illegal appointment of Tauqir Sadiq, the NAB director said that investigation against Prime Minister Raja Pervaiz Ashraf was underway in this regard.The bench granted one week to NAB to file references against Tauqir’s appointer PM Raja Pervaiz Ashraf and his protectors and facilitators, Rehman Malik and Jehangir Badr, and submit compliance report before it. The case was adjourned until January 30.Earlier, during the hearing, the bench expressed annoyance over non-arrest of the accused wanted in mega corruption scam and questioned how Tauqir was able to travel after his passports were cancelled. It appears that all the government agencies were acting in complicity with the accused, the court added.NAB Deputy Prosecutor General Chaudhry Mazhar submitted that police had held Tauqir in the UAE but released him later. The UAE authorities told that neither he was wanted there for any crime nor were the required documents for his deportation to Pakistan complete.At this, Justice Jawwad S Khawaja observed that NAB is not innocent to this extent, adding that the team left for the UAE without the arrest warrant and that was the reason the UAE authorities said that they have to abide by the law. He said that such carelessness shows that government agencies were determined not to arrest him and the foreign ministry was also following in the footsteps of NAB and Federal Investigation Agency (FIA). Justice Khilji Arif Hussain remarked that NAB’s motto was to let the big fish go and catch the weak in petty cases.