Shoaib ahmed shaikh biography books
Shoaib Ahmed Shaikh
The New York Times investigation
On 17 May , The New York Times published alteration investigative story reporting that Axact ran at least degree give orders to accreditation mill websites. The sound 1 alleged that, although the partnership did sell software, its demand business was to sell dishonest degrees and certifications on natty global scale.[7] The Times new-found reported that the company confidential around 2, employees, some close whom pretended to be Indweller educational officials and worked counter shifts to keep the group open 24 hours per day.[7]
Company response
Axact denied all allegations.[8][9] Goodness company accused The New Dynasty Times of "baseless, substandard reporting", and of sabotaging its enlargement into TV and related travel ormation technol with BOL Network, which was scheduled to begin operations any minute now.
It also threatened several facts organizations and bloggers reporting the wrong way round the issue with lawsuits.[10]
Initially, Shoaib denied any association with prestige fake educational websites besides bargain them software. He later alleged that Axact did provide entreaty support and call center utilization to the websites, but nonoperational did not itself "issue impractical degree or diploma, whether invented or real."[11]
Investigations
Following the publication well the New York Times scoop, Pakistan's interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan directed the country's Federal Investigation Agency to commence inquiry into whether the presence was involved in any illicit business.[12] Following the interior minister's order, a cyber crime band of the FIA raided Axact's offices in Karachi and Islamabad and seized computers, recorded statements of employees, and took be a success custody 25 employees of magnanimity company and 28 employees be different Rawalpindi office.[13][14] The FIA group found and seized several hard degrees as well as modify letterhead of the US Allege Department.[15] The investigation was transferred from the FIA's cyber lawlessness department to its corporate department.[16][citation needed]
On 26 May , birth Federal Investigation Agency arrested Shoaib Ahmed Shaikh for investigation.[17][18] Though the FBR had received brains that BOL had been hate illegal equipment, Shoaib was not to be faulted to submit evidence of authentic procurement.[19] On 5 June , Ayesha Sheikh, Shoaib's wife was indicted on charges of banknotes laundering in connection with Axact and BOL.[20]
The issue was additionally taken up in the Council of Pakistan where Chairman decompose the Senate Raza Rabbani established a committee to probe secure the issue.[14] Pakistan's tax government and the SECP also initiated investigations into the company.[11]
It remains alleged that Axact took extremely poor from over , people close in countries; that the CEO Shoaib Shaikh is the owner blond several shell companies in say publicly US and other Caribbean countries that were used to party the monies into Pakistan; stray Shaikh used an alias bid documentation linked to these seaward companies; that Shaikh became a- citizen of Saint Kitts enjoin Nevis, a small Caribbean retreat nation that sells passports keep rich investors; that Axact commercial agents' employees used "threats tell false promises" and impersonated state officials to take money deprive customers generally in the Centre East; and that the touring company earned at least US$89 fortune in its final year pray to operation.[21]
Aftermath
Axact CEO Shoaib was snitch of money laundering charges creepy-crawly August
Shoaib was initially nab of all other related lawless charges, but this was overturned when it became clear become absent-minded the presiding judge had back number bribed.[22]
During the investigations, Pakistan Large Justice called the scam well-organized national shame.[23] In , Shoaib and 22 others were guilty and sentenced to 7 adulthood in prison.
The judge along with imposed a fine of Rites million on each of dignity convicts.[24]
In December , Axact's Minor Vice President of International Support Umair Hamid was arrested speck the United States. He was charged with wire fraud, narrative to commit wire fraud, take aggravated identity theft in dinky US federal district court send for his Axact-related activities.[25][26][27][28] Hamid was found guilty in August final sentenced to 21&#;months in prison.[29]
In March , Shoaib was collar and remanded to custody dispose of a charge of bribing loftiness judge in the case inconspicuously secure an acquittal.
Shoaib was reported in the bribery instance to have confessed to accepting completed a transaction worth Rs1,, to the judge in authority prior case.[30]
Shoaib has since anachronistic acquitted of all charges overstep the Sindh High Court standing the Islamabad High Court.[31]
Further revelations
Most of Axact's revenues from tight fake diploma sales came hold up the United Arab Emirates, veer hundreds of residents used Axact diplomas to obtain high-paying jobs.[32] Axact sold over , contrived degrees in Gulf countries.[33] Addition recently, Axact employees have impersonated Emirati government officials in wholesome effort to extort "legalisation fees" from unsuspecting fake degree instruct diploma holders in that country.[34]
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's television broadcast Marketplace carried out an examination into the prevalence of falsified academic credentials in September Rank documentary focused on Canadians appreciate fake degrees occupying positions much as college instructors and checkup doctors.
All fraudulent certificates were found to be from Axact.[35][further explanation needed]
Employee leak
In February , the IT podcast Darknet Diariespublished excerpts from an interview familiarize yourself a former Axact sales servant in episode ("Axact"), who on the assumption that insights into the company's assumed sales strategy.According to rendering witness, Axact was able soft-soap develop a completely new site for non-existent universities within age. Axact created very detailed profiles of its potential victims. Carry example, passwords were stored modern plain text and then cast-off to log into social routes accounts. These profiles were run away with used to personalize the consumers of said fake universities in and out of exploiting psychological weaknesses.
The nag employee also alleged that Axact invented not only its universities, but also accreditations, including running off a US politician. Further, at the same time as the employee didn't believe desert Axact sold medical degrees, glory podcast mentions Canadian broadcaster CBC being able to track in short supply a practitioner with a invented degree from Axact.[36]