Axact man jailed in US for 21 months in fake degrees case

NEW YORK: A decision in a case that brought a bad name to Pakistan on account of fake degrees in the US and other parts of the world has been announced.

An American federal judge pronounced 21-month imprisonment and $100 fine for Umair Hamid. The judge said that Hamid had confessed to his crimes but he was not the mastermind of Axact fake degree scam as he was just an employee working for $126 a month.

She said that Hamid would deported after completion of his imprisonment. She also ordered confiscation of $5.3 million stashed in Pakistan banks by Axact.

Confessing to his crime, Hamid wept in the court and a Pakistani woman also wept sitting there. Hamid was exchanging different gestures with that woman during court proceedings. The US Department of Justice has also issued a press release about the decision in the case. Lawyers said that Hamid can challenge his punishment within 14 days and his imprisonment will start after its pronouncement.