Court rejects Axact CEO’s request to exempt wife

KARACHI: A local court turned down on Monday the exemption request of the wife, of the key accused in the Axact fake degree scandal Shaoib Shaikh, from appearance in the court.

Judge of the Additional District and Sessions Court (South) Sarah Junejo directed Shaoib Shaikh and the other accused to appear for hearing on February 26. During the hearing, the attorney for Axact objected to FIA privately hiring services of FIA Prosecutor Saifullah Phulpoto. The FIA would now present prosecution witness in the court where in-camera proceedings would take place.

Claiming Axact to be a top IT company, the chief executive and senior officials of Axact allegedly operated hundreds of fake online universities and was arrested on charges of fraud in May 2015 following an expose`in the New York Times.

At present, of the total four cases registered against Axact, the accused has been acquitted in two, while hearing of one is underway in Karachi while hearing of another in Peshawar, is yet to start.

The SHC has also summoned Shoaib Shaikh and the other accused on February 21 over FIA's appeal against the suspects' acquittal by a lower court. On February 9, hearing the suo motu case on the Axact fake degrees scandal, the Chief Justice of Pakistan had directed the Islamabad High Court and the SHC to expedite the hearing of cases within a few weeks. The apex court also directed the trial court in Karachi to decide the prosecution's plea seeking cancellation of the suspects' bail in two weeks.