Pakistan

Axact CEO, four others sent on physical remand till June 7

South district judicial magistrate, Noor Muhammad, in the hearing announced the physical remand

Zubair Ashraf May 27, 2015

PHOTO: MOHAMMAD NOMAN/EXPRESS

KARACHI: Axact CEO Shoaib Shaikh along with Viqas Atiq and three others were handed a physical remand till June 7, following the arrest of the CEO late Tuesday night.

South district judicial magistrate, Noor Muhammad, in the hearing announced the physical remand till June 7.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) arrested Axact CEO late Tuesday night after investigators found hundreds of thousands of forged degrees and students ID cards from a secret office of the company in Karachi.

Read: 'Fake degree empire' collapses: Axact CEO nailed

FIA Sindh Director along with a team of Sindh police's Special Investigation Unit arrived at the Axact Karachi office late at night and recovered piles of degree templates from different universities.

Following the late night swoop, Shaikh, along with six directors of the company were taken into custody by FIA.

Read: Unabated disclosures: Axact's ex-employee spills the beans

Further, a case was registered against him and Axact with sections related to money-laundering and cyber crimes incorporated in the FIR.

PHOTO: IRFAN ALI/EXPRESS

Later in the evening, a FIA team again raided Axact office in Rawalpindi and searched the residential rooms of Axact CEO and Axact regional director Col (retd) Jamil, Express News reported.

During the raid, FIA team confiscated six more computers and associated electronic devices.

Earlier, on Monday, Shaikh spent several hours at the FIA headquarters explaining his position and was called for further questioning on Tuesday.

The interrogation continued for several hours till midnight before he was arrested.

The FIA is investigating the details of Axact’s accounts in at least five banks. A plea for protective bail moved by Shaikh was rejected by the Sindh High Court a few days ago.

The NYT report released last week accused the Karachi-based firm of not only issuing fake diplomas and degrees from a host of online universities but also running a bogus, parallel accreditation system, which in some instances even carried verifications from the US State Department with forged signatures of John Kerry.

A copy of the FIR obtained by The Express Tribune

COMMENTS (28)

Brar | 9 years ago | Reply @Ahmad: Sir, I watched two interviews of Mr. Saikh on two Pakistani news channels and in both the interviews he did not answer even a single question strainght way rather he was spinning stories and the Anchor after trying her best asked him a straight question ,Sir you says that you have not committed any mistake and their is simple way to clear yourself and Axact, you must have signed agreements with those schools,universties, you show these agreements and he replied that if I show the agreements the other companies stole my business.

Lolz | 9 years ago | Reply @Hassan: Innocent people????? Now an american journalist would determine who is innocent!!!!! Shoaib Sheikh went unnoticed for nearly 2 decades and you say all the concerned institutions who kept on enjoying salaries and incentives on our tax money should be declared innocent? I see a very different form of justice system in this country, they say justice is blind but in this country justice pretends to be blind but keeps an eye on details just like a fake beggar who comes out on the road pretending to be blind and fooling around for money!!!!!

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Umer | 9 years ago | Reply I have been following up this matter very closely and what comes to mind being very neutral is that the crack down of FIA is justified under since many evidences of fake degree selling has been captured from the axact premises and are shown on media. Coming to the claim of Mr. Viqas ateek of indian consipiracy, it seem mr viqas sleeping and havent watched any thing on the media which has been exposed greatly so far. Today axact leaders are behind the bars is only due to the efforts of pakistan media who showed each everything what FIA is doing. As far as our national image is concerned, FIA is handling the job well to heal the image. If these people are not prosecuted then it will leave a big question mark on our country's integrity and its lawmakers. Every neutral minded person is supporting the FIA and all the remedies will uphold Pakistani image in the world, and next time no such nasty business activity will be exported from our country....

Ahmad | 9 years ago | Reply @Viqas Atiq: I thought this was conspiracy again axact. this person was my inspiration and I always used to watch his video and speeches. but one thing that i always felt missing was purity on his face. even one of axact employe was my class fellow, his style was if he was working in Apple or Google. After reading today and yesterday column by Javed Ch. I came to know about the truth. axact even make media infrastructure even bigger than CNN and BBC just at the start, this happens only by black money. Column 1: http://goo.gl/zCS0RL Columns 2: http://goo.gl/OS4n4L I believe Javed ch did not talk or write without facts. Every one should read these columns to know the more facts.

qazi | 9 years ago | Reply Why the killer of dozens of people Mr. Uzair baloch not yet arrested and why very quike action against axact.

Hassan | 9 years ago | Reply @Ahsan: and why r u with him???? isn't he a criminal??? forget about the conspiracies and everything else, he along with his team deceived innocent people and squeeze them till the last penny. u r with him????wow supporting a criminal is not a big deal here. i too have worked for Axact and every bit of these allegations is true. u still support him? thumbs up for being open to show ur support for a criminal, If this is the mindset of a person who can read, understand and write on tribune then i see no hope for Pakistan, crimes criminals and their supporters everywhere. All the best to Pakistan and its future.

string | 9 years ago | Reply @Viqas Atiq: 1. This is fact that all Axact transactions have been found legal and all money transaction have been through legal banking system. Question: Does any company involved in fraud at such level would act this way? Since the so-called scam has been surfaced only that NY Times story and former employees of Axact are being produced in media. Are these authentic sources, considering the nature of accusation. Only a couple of degree holder have come to fore saying that they have been awarded fake degrees, still they didn’t say that, their degree has been issued by Axact. Question: In the face of volume of scam, where claims that hundreds of thousands of fake degrees have been issued by Axact, press and investigation agencies have not been able to produce single evidence that Axact has issued these degrees. How come Axact is being accused? Axact is being accused that knowing that educational institutes are fake, why did they make them part of their portal. This is unethical and unlawful. Question: If this is unlawful, then a simple question to media. Media telecast hundreds of thousands of advertisements on daily basis which provide wrong information or false claims. Media knows which one is correct and which one is not, as they are in much better position to know that, then Axact, 4. FIA has claimed that hundreds of thousand degrees have been discovered from Axact Karachi headquarters. This gives rise to many questions. Question1: Really? Question2:This is the news which enforced my suspicions about the entire story. Why after many days of thorough search of Axact headquarters they were able to find these degrees the last day? Degrees should have been discovered the very first day. Question3: Are degrees really have been printed out in numbers which have been claimed. Now a days degree is only printed out when is required through a good printer and there is no more need of printing press. This is very simple process now, touch, print and go. Why this fuss? It is now every ones knowledge, that BOL the subsidiary of Axact even before its launch became a big threat to its rivals and what BOL was offering, other groups started offering the same to their employees.

Hasan | 9 years ago | Reply @Viqas Atiq: Care to name any software that you sell? You claim to be in the APP business but I failed to find your presence in both Google Play Store and Apple iTunes store. Care to explain? You claim to be 'World's leading IT company' Yet you have no demonstration of your software online? Please explain

Romareo | 9 years ago | Reply High Ranking Officers from the Establishment are Involved in this. Axact CEO and Axact regional director Col (retd) Jamil and several others are Establishment Men. What really matters is Money and Money and Money...

Zaheer | 9 years ago | Reply According to reports Axact was minting money by selling fake degrees, if it is true than why FIA did not take action against the said company and awakened on the reports published in NYT? Why FBR did not investigate the Tax evasion before? Sorry to say our media channels are totally biased on different issues including this and axact has become a punching bag for media houses and analysts. As I believe in this case the main purpose is to divert attention of masses from real issues like unemployment, power shortage, price hike and other problems related to general public. Similarly some days back all channels were talking against a media group and even declare them anti Pakistan now again the media is doing same thing but the target is different (BOL). Finally an enemy of an enemy is a friend is the policy of media.

Ahsan | 9 years ago | Reply @viqas ateeq. Sadly all the agencies are super active in this cases they all see themselves getting a share of the pie. We are with you just stay strong

Lolz | 9 years ago | Reply Shoaib Sheikh allegedly manipulates law and erects a huge empire and rules for so many years and went unnoticed - Should we still think he and only he is responsible? He was highlighted by an international journalist for preying on the personal money of non-Pakistani(mostly) and look at the quick action of law enforcers and the response of media, whereas national/Pakistani journalists highlight many, who along with their families and that for generations, prey on the tax money of ordinary Pakistani citizens, but law enforcers and media don't respond. Do we need international journalists to also highlight these local level manipulations to wake the law enforcers up? I think important is, we should understand the global strings which control us, especially the economic strings!!!!!

LawaTimes | 9 years ago | Reply The whole case should be investigated properly and a commission should be set up to probe the the prime motive behind this activism. Lot of money laundering cases has been reported in Pakistan and International media but no action was taken.

YST | 9 years ago | Reply I am amazed to see the efficiency of FIA and government. I wish they can also be smart in solving politicians corruption cases. Mr. Shoaib your bad luck is u r not a politician.

ShN | 9 years ago | Reply I feel bad for the guy, why is she getting paraded around in shackles while KNOWN corrupt politicians who STOLE money from millions of Pakistan still walk free. Even IF he was involved in selling fake degrees, he did not ROB Pakistanis or HURT anyone. If anything he created more jobs in Pakistan. Ridiculous. Pakistan has become a joke.

MK | 9 years ago | Reply Relax everyone, they just outsourced corruption to me, I am looting my country so that money can be invested in other countries, If I don't loot my country, they will ask INDIA to loot my country, so I am also innocent like Mr. Sheikh. Politician's defense.

unknown | 9 years ago | Reply Wow .. Now he's asking Axactian to protest .. Why would they do that .. Since they all know what they were doing .. and secondly he asked for bail from SHC before the case was Registered cos he knew that he was gonna get arrested on the basis of his wrong doing ..

unbelievable | 9 years ago | Reply NYT did a nice job - not sure why it took a foreign newspaper to expose fraud on such a massive scale.

kam | 9 years ago | Reply Even if a printing press is found, it is completely legal to print these diplomas, illegal it is, only when not handed the required certificate to clients. But axact did that well. So many international online institute provide cert, dip. degree on work experience only. It looks more like a politically biased case.

Shah | 9 years ago | Reply @incognito59: Don't you know the difference between certificates and degrees? If not so then Google it

khalid | 9 years ago | Reply well done FBR, I wish you would have shown same swiftness and authority in hand cuffing other individuals like Mr Zardari, Mr Raja Rental, Mr Jillani, The Nawaz brothers, our Ex Generals etc...impartial implementation of justice will never work.....

Nauman | 9 years ago | Reply Viqas Atiq, how are you managing to post if you are on police remand? Let justice prevail.

incognito59 | 9 years ago | Reply @ Viqas Atiq I was wondering why thousands of blank degrees discovered in your office/printing press. Don't tell me that you were printing degrees for non existent universities whose web sites were being controlled through your offices. Awam is stupid but not that stupdi!

Burki | 9 years ago | Reply @Viqas Atiq: I hope what you just said is a sarcastic remark and not a paid PR/damage control try by Axact.

kulwant singh | 9 years ago | Reply @Viqas Atiq: You are saying FIA the premier investigation agency, Karachi police, Home Minister Pakistan all are working under pressure of a Indian company, I think all my Pakistani Brothers and Sisters will support you it is their duty to come forward to save the honour of the country.

Pakistani Citizen | 9 years ago | Reply My cousin is an ex-employee of Axact and he himself told me about it. Sadly, the current employees are being brain-washed. Everybody knows what Axact has been doing for the past many years. I wonder why did the FIA never noticed? I hope the FIA and govt. takes the responsible people to courts! Law should be equal for all!

Naasir | 9 years ago | Reply All are requested to come over to FIA headquarters and admit to their role in this sham and be arrested. The rats are always the first to abandon a sinking ship.

Viqas Atiq | 9 years ago | Reply Not true. We have never sold degrees and never will. Axact is a tech driven company with over 5000 employees. We are being pressured indirectly by India who wants our company's share. This is the biggest conspiracy in the history of Pakistan. All axactians are requested to come over to FIA headquarters for a protect against this defamation.

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