ISLAMABAD, Feb 09 (TNS): The Supreme Court (SC) on Friday has directed Sindh High Court (SHC) and Islamabad High Court (IHC) to promptly decide on the pending cases regarding Axact company.
Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar conducted hearing of the suo motu notice of the Axact fake degree scandal. He maintained that Pakistan’s reputation is at stake but the investigation in the case is quite weak and frail.
At first, he directed to place the names of Axact CEO Shoaib Shaikh and other accused in the fake degree case on the Exit Control List (ECL) but later rescinded its order on the request of senior journalists present in the court. Supreme Court then ordered Shaikh to submit a written guarantee that he will not leave the country and hand over his passport to the high court.
Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Director General Basheer Memon told court that the websites of at least 330 universities are being operated by Axact but have no campuses.
He said that Axact is not affiliated with the said universities while a person can receive any degree from the website on the basis of experience in an hour and at the cost of Rs500,000.
“I possess the experience in law. Can I receive a PhD degree?” the CJP inquired. “Yes, you can receive the degree of law and English on the basis experience,” replied Memon.
He also told the judge that Axact has its own platform which conducts accreditation. The Chief Justice remarked that universities are established under a law while the Axact degree process was ongoing from 2006-2015.
“If the information is correct then a fraud was committed with the people. FIA initiated the investigation when the news came on media. What can the FIA do to prove the crime?” he asked.
Basheer Memon responded that the suspects of the Axact case in IHC have been acquitted. “Did the FIA presented evidence in the IHC?” questioned CJP.
Memon replied that the appeal is still pending following which the registrar IHC told that February 22 has been set for hearing of the petition.
The CJP added Justice Gul Hassan to the already existing one-member bench of the IHC previously comprised of Justice Athar Minallah. He ordered to declare verdict over the plea in three weeks.
Furthermore, the Chief Justice also directed the SHC to constitute a bench to hear the case and decide over it within a month.
Pakistan Broadcasting Association has welcomed the CJP’s suo motu notice. It says that Axact and Bol are using black money and FIA’s concealment of facts is its example.
PBA while expressing concerns over the case said that criminal elements cannot be allowed to be a part of the media.
They have appealed the Chief Justice to monitor the cases related to Axact and Bol.
On May 27, 2015, Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) had detained at least 32 employees including the executive body members and CEO during raids in Rawalpindi and Karachi after the New York Times published a story about issuance of millions of fake degrees by Axact.
FIA had also seized the main server, computers and files from the office and demanded the company to provide web hosting records for the past ten years.
The officers had also traced printing press that published fake degrees and included its owner Abdul Rauf in the witnesses list. 58 of Axact degree-holders in Islamabad and Rawalpindi were identified while responses from more than 4500 foreign degree-holders were also been received.
After Axact, Bol TV was also banned due to accusations regarding illegal purchase of equipments in the channel. It was said that the equipments installed at the seventh and ninth floor of company’s office were been bought illegally.
