ISLAMABAD, May 26 Former IB chief Dr Shoaib Suddle has been appointed the Federal Tax Ombudsman.

President Asif Ali Zardari approved his appointment on the advice of Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, based on Dr Suddle's experience in handling cases of economic crimes and taxation.

According to presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar, a formal notification about the appointment will soon be issued by the law ministry.

Dr Suddle relinquished the post of director-general of Intelligence Bureau last week after his service extension was set aside by the Supreme Court.

The former IB chief has a vast experience in detecting and handling economic and white-collar crimes. He has presented research papers at international seminars on tax evasion, economic crimes, privatisation and economic democracy.

Dr Suddle did his doctorate in criminology (white-collar crimes) in 1988. He played a leading role in controlling urban insurgency in the mid-90s.