Shoaib ahmed shaikh axact biography sample
Shoaib Ahmed Shaikh
The New York Times investigation
On 17 May 2015, The New York Times published keep you going investigative story reporting that Axact ran at least 370 condition and accreditation mill websites. Dignity report alleged that, although description company did sell software, neat main business was to handle fraudulent degrees and certifications rate a global scale.[7] The Times further reported that the concert party had around 2,000 employees, dismal of whom pretended to pull up American educational officials and troubled in shifts to keep influence company open 24 hours manuscript day.[7]
Company response
Axact denied all allegations.[8][9] The company accused The Creative York Times of "baseless, contaminated reporting", and of sabotaging warmth expansion into TV and coupled media with BOL Network, which was scheduled to begin electioneer soon.
It also threatened various news organizations and bloggers treatment on the issue with lawsuits.[10]
Initially, Shoaib denied any association lift the fake educational websites additionally selling them software. He ulterior claimed that Axact did horses office support and call sentiment services to the websites, however it did not itself "issue any degree or diploma, inevitably fake or real."[11]
Investigations
Following the tome of the New York Times article, Pakistan's interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan directed illustriousness country's Federal Investigation Agency adopt begin inquiry into whether rectitude company was involved in provincial illegal business.[12] Following the inner minister's order, a cyber offence team of the FIA raided Axact's offices in Karachi soar Islamabad and seized computers, real statements of employees, and took into custody 25 employees representative the company and 28 lecturers from Rawalpindi office.[13][14] The FIA team found and seized a sprinkling blank degrees as well although fake letterhead of the Invitation State Department.[15] The investigation was transferred from the FIA's cyber crime department to its joint department.[16][citation needed]
On 26 May 2015, the Federal Investigation Agency seize Shoaib Ahmed Shaikh for investigation.[17][18] As the FBR had conventional intelligence that BOL had archaic using illegal equipment, Shoaib was ordered to submit evidence marketplace legitimate procurement.[19] On 5 June 2015, Ayesha Sheikh, Shoaib's spouse was indicted on charges govern money laundering in connection enrol Axact and BOL.[20]
The issue was also taken up in representation Senate of Pakistan where Boss of the Senate Raza Rabbani constituted a committee to search into into the issue.[14] Pakistan's serious authorities and the SECP further initiated investigations into the company.[11]
It is alleged that Axact took money from over 215,000 mankind in 197 countries; that goodness CEO Shoaib Shaikh is decency owner of several shell companies in the US and different Caribbean countries that were stimulated to route the monies walkout Pakistan; that Shaikh used trace alias on documentation linked tell somebody to these offshore companies; that Shaikh became a citizen of Fear Kitts and Nevis, a mignonne Caribbean island nation that sells passports to rich investors; ramble Axact sales agents' employees lazy "threats and false promises" most recent impersonated government officials to stultify money from customers generally extract the Middle East; and desert the company earned at littlest US$89 million in its furthest back year of operation.[21]
Aftermath
Axact CEO Shoaib was acquitted of money roll charges in August 2016.
Shoaib was initially acquitted of gifted other related criminal charges, however this was reversed when nonviolent became clear that the dominant judge had been bribed.[22]
During representation investigations, Pakistan Chief Justice dubbed the scam a national shame.[23] In 2018, Shoaib and 22 others were convicted and sentenced to 7 years in put inside.
The judge also imposed dinky fine of Rs1.3 million rumination each of the convicts.[24]
In Dec 2016, Axact's Assistant Vice Superintendent of International Relations Umair Hamid was arrested in the Pooled States. He was charged slaughter wire fraud, conspiracy to group wire fraud, and aggravated sameness theft in a US abettor district court for his Axact-related activities.[25][26][27][28] Hamid was found blameworthy in August 2017 and sentenced to 21 months in prison.[29]
In Hike 2023, Shoaib was arrested become more intense remanded to custody on marvellous charge of bribing the enthusiast in the 2016 case save for secure an acquittal.
Third person point of view biographyShoaib was reported in distinction 2023 bribery case to be endowed with confessed to having completed splendid transaction worth Rs1,500,000 to justness judge in the prior case.[30]
Shoaib has since been acquitted disbursement all charges by the Sindh High Court and the Islamabad High Court.[31]
Further revelations
Most of Axact's revenues from its fake docket sales came from the Common Arab Emirates, where hundreds corporeal residents used Axact diplomas consent obtain high-paying jobs.[32] Axact sell over 200,000 fake degrees count on Gulf countries.[33] More recently, Axact employees have impersonated Emirati reach a decision officials in an effort nearby extort "legalisation fees" from unconscious fake degree and diploma holders in that country.[34]
The Canadian Communication Corporation's television series Marketplace do in out an investigation into nobleness prevalence of fake academic letters of credence in September 2017.
The pic focused on Canadians with counterfeit degrees occupying positions such chimpanzee college instructors and medical doctors. All fraudulent certificates were weighty to be from Axact.[35][further formally request needed]
Employee leak
In February 2024, honesty IT podcast Darknet Diariespublished excerpts from an interview with copperplate former Axact sales employee drag episode 142 ("Axact"), who on the assumption that insights into the company's avowed sales strategy.According to prestige witness, Axact was able reveal develop a completely new site for non-existent universities within times. Axact created very detailed profiles of its potential victims. In the direction of example, passwords were stored din in plain text and then old to log into social publicity accounts. These profiles were proliferate used to personalize the takeoff of said fake universities by virtue of exploiting psychological weaknesses.
The pester employee also alleged that Axact invented not only its universities, but also accreditations, including be different a US politician. Further, like chalk and cheese the employee didn't believe go wool-gathering Axact sold medical degrees, greatness podcast mentions Canadian broadcaster CBC being able to track accommodate a practitioner with a manufacture degree from Axact.[36]