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Thursday March 28, 2024

Exonerating Axact fake degree scandal accused

January 23, 2018

What’s value of verdict after judge admits taking bribe, asks IHC

By Faisal Kamal Pasha

ISLAMABAD: During hearing into an appeal of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) against acquittal of the Axact officials, a Deputy Attorney General (DAG) here on Monday told an Islamabad High Court (IHC) bench that the trial judge who acquitted Axact officials including its CEO has admitted before an IHC departmental promotion committee to receiving Rs5 million as bribe.

At this, IHC Justice Athar Minallah questioned the DAG that after this admission what is the value for that trial court acquittal decision? IHC directed DAG to provide assistance to the court regarding this aspect.

IHC was informed that the Supreme Court (SC) has taken suo moto notice of the Axact fake degrees case that earned ignominy for Pakistan throughout the world. A legal counsel for Axact contended before the court to adjourn in this matter till adjudication by the Supreme Court. IHC bench, however, putting off this matter for two week directed the DAG to produce a copy of the Supreme Court order.

DAG told the court that a senior executive of Axact, Umair Hamid, who pleaded guilty before a US court, was a prosecution witness of FIA. A US court sentenced him for 20 years imprisonment. DAG also mentioned remarks of the apex court that there were fake degree mills operating in this country.

The SC had taken suo moto notice after news was published by the BBC that says that there were numerous affectees of Axact fake degree scandal in UK as well. FIA through its deputy director Cyber Crime Circle in February, 2017 had filed a petition against acquittal of 27 officials of the Axact Company. Petitioner FIA has nominated Director/Chief Executive Officer (CEO) Axact Shoaib Sheikh, his wife Ayesha Shoaib and 25 others as respondents.

FIA in its appeal under section 417 Criminal Procedure Code (CrPC) against the additional session judge Islamabad Pervaizul Qadir Memon’s judgment through which all the 27 persons were acquitted maintained that the judgment was a result of misreading.

An FIR was lodged against all the respondents on June 7, 2015 under sections 419, 420, 468, 471, 473, 109/34 and section 4 of anti-money laundering Act 2010.

Petitioner FIA said that an enquiry dated May 19, 2015 was registered against the respondent M/s Axact Ltd Islamabad region for preparing and selling degrees of fake online educational institutions with fake accreditation bodies, enticing innocent people through impersonation as student councilors within Pakistan and abroad.

Consequently a raid was conducted on Axact’s DHA office. According to the petitioner, regional head Col (R) Jameel Ahmad, Lt Col (R) M Younis and other officials of M/S Axact could not provide plausible justification regarding their online fast track prior learning assessment (PLA) education operation.

Statements of the some of the employees clearly showed that their sale agents were impersonating as highly qualified student councilors of the fraudulent, non-existent, fictitious educational institutes, pretending being in the USA as they used UAN numbers of the US and persuaded the prospective student to deposit huge amounts of money in the offshore accounts operated by Axact in lieu with online degrees/certificates/diplomas and the attestation/legalisation from different government bodies.

Petitioner contended that additional session judge upon concluding the case acquitted all the 27 persons. It prayed to the court to set aside the additional session judge’s orders and respondents be convicted as per law.