SHC’s decision in Axact’s CEO, others bail case

SC upholds

KARACHI: The Supreme Court on Monday dismissed a petition of the Federal Investigation Agency against the decision of the Sindh High Court that granted bail to the chief executive officer of Axact and other 13 directors and employees in the fake degree scam.

The Sindh High Court had granted bail to Axact CEO Shoaib Sheikh, directors Waqas Atiq, Rizwan Ahmed, Imran Ahmed Khan, Atif Hussain, Adnan Saboor and others in the Axact fake degree and money laundering scam.

Axact’s CEO Shoaib Ahmed Sheikh and other directors were booked by the FIA for their involvement in the fake degree scam and money laundering charges and the proceedings were pending before the trial court.

Seeking cancellation of bail of Axact’s CEO and others, the FIA submitted that the prosecution agency had sufficient forensic evidence against Axact that defamed the country in the fake degree scam. The FIA counsel submitted that Axact had generated ill-gotten money through the fake degree scam and it had committed fraud by making fake online universities. He requested the court to cancel the bail applications of the Axact directors as the FIA had sufficient evidence to prove its case before the trial court. The SC’s three-member bench, headed by Chief Justice Anwar Zaheer Jamali, observed that the prosecution had failed to produce witnesses in the trial court despite the lapse of more than one year and dismissed the FIA petition for cancellation of bail.