FIA probing Axact scandal, NA told

ISLAMABAD: The National Assembly was informed on Friday the Axact scandal was under investigation with the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and as and when the FIA report was finalised, it would be shared with the Federal Board of Revenue, and appropriate action will be taken under the Income Tax Ordinance 2001.
To a question, Parliamentary Secretary for Interior Maryam Aurangzeb told the House that different cases had been registered against Axact. She said these include 250,000 fake degrees and a large number of fraud institutions. She said accounts of these institutions had been seized and they were not functional now.
The House was informed that the FIA had registered two separate FIRs against Shoaib Ahmed Sheikh, director and CEO of M/s Axcat (Pvt) Limited, on the charges of illegal and fraudulent business of online degrees and money laundering.
Under the FIR No 07/2015 (Karachi), an interim charge sheet of the case was submitted in the court against 13 accused persons on June 15 and a supplementary interim charge sheet of the case was submitted on June 27 after arresting four more accused persons and one absconding person.
Bank accounts of the company, its CEO and his accomplices have been frozen under the provision of section and of AML Act 2010, with the permission of the Court of District and Sessions Judge, South, Karachi. Under Section and of Anti Money Laundering Act 2010, show cause notices have also been issued to the accused persons requiring them to provide the justification of transactions made in and out of their accounts. The reply is awaited.
Under the FIR No 56/2015 (Islamabad), Interim Challan u/s 173 CrPC to the extent of 21 accused persons was submitted in the trial court in July. On the order of court of Addl District & Sessions Judge West, Islamabad, a letter was sent to Director FIA, Sindh, for the transfer of four accused, Shoaib Ahmed Sheikh, Viqas Atiq, Zeeshan Anwar and Zeeshan Raza, to Islamabad so that charges could be framed against the accused. Response is still awaited.
Response of Director FIA/Sindh is also awaited on the compliance of non-bailable arrest warrants obtained against the accused persons Ayesha Shoaib Sheikh and Farhan Kamal. After receiving the accused persons from Karachi and arresting the remaining two accused, charges could be framed and prosecution would be initiated. Requests have been made to: the ETO, Excise and Taxation Department, Karachi, for vehicle record; the Customs House Karachi, Foreign Exchange Policy Department, State Bank of Pakistan for record related to export of software/ IT services; the secretary Bahria Town and DHA regarding assets of the accused persons, M/s Axact and M/s Bol TV for the property record.
Response from all concerned is awaited. After receiving sufficient record of assets related to the accused, acquired for the proceeds of crime, Anti-Money Laundering Proceedings can be initiated. The question was asked by Ms. Tahira Aurangzeb, MNA, and the query was: “Will the minister for interior and narcotics control be pleased to state the present status of investigations of issues relating to Axact?”