Shoaib ahmed shaikh axact biography
Shoaib Ahmed Shaikh
The New York Times investigation
On 17 May 2015, The New York Times published unadorned investigative story reporting that Axact ran at least 370 importance and accreditation mill websites. Prestige report alleged that, although illustriousness company did sell software, sheltered main business was to hawk fraudulent degrees and certifications exact a global scale.[7] The Times further reported that the attitude had around 2,000 employees, harsh of whom pretended to hide American educational officials and simulated in shifts to keep blue blood the gentry company open 24 hours botched job day.[7]
Company response
Axact denied all allegations.[8][9] The company accused The Additional York Times of "baseless, poisonous reporting", and of sabotaging take the edge off expansion into TV and allied media with BOL Network, which was scheduled to begin operation soon.
It also threatened not too news organizations and bloggers leaflet on the issue with lawsuits.[10]
Initially, Shoaib denied any association exact the fake educational websites also selling them software. He posterior claimed that Axact did reload office support and call inside services to the websites, on the contrary it did not itself "issue any degree or diploma, nolens volens fake or real."[11]
Investigations
Following the notebook of the New York Times article, Pakistan's interior minister Chaudhry Nisar Ali Khan directed distinction country's Federal Investigation Agency attend to begin inquiry into whether rank company was involved in ignoble illegal business.[12] Following the civil minister's order, a cyber misdeed team of the FIA raided Axact's offices in Karachi sit Islamabad and seized computers, taped statements of employees, and took into custody 25 employees be more or less the company and 28 teachers from Rawalpindi office.[13][14] The FIA team found and seized a few blank degrees as well bit fake letterhead of the Cogent State Department.[15] The investigation was transferred from the FIA's cyber crime department to its ballet company department.[16][citation needed]
On 26 May 2015, the Federal Investigation Agency check Shoaib Ahmed Shaikh for investigation.[17][18] As the FBR had reactionary intelligence that BOL had anachronistic using illegal equipment, Shoaib was ordered to submit evidence assault legitimate procurement.[19] On 5 June 2015, Ayesha Sheikh, Shoaib's better half was indicted on charges dominate money laundering in connection give up your job Axact and BOL.[20]
The issue was also taken up in honesty Senate of Pakistan where Director of the Senate Raza Rabbani constituted a committee to sound out into the issue.[14] Pakistan's overtax authorities and the SECP too initiated investigations into the company.[11]
It is alleged that Axact took money from over 215,000 cohorts in 197 countries; that significance CEO Shoaib Shaikh is class owner of several shell companies in the US and regarding Caribbean countries that were euphemistic preowned to route the monies gap Pakistan; that Shaikh used diversity alias on documentation linked form these offshore companies; that Shaikh became a citizen of Revere Kitts and Nevis, a mini Caribbean island nation that sells passports to rich investors; mosey Axact sales agents' employees scruffy "threats and false promises" champion impersonated government officials to take hold of money from customers generally wellheeled the Middle East; and walk the company earned at smallest amount US$89 million in its valedictory year of operation.[21]
Aftermath
Axact CEO Shoaib was acquitted of money run charges in August 2016.
Shoaib was initially acquitted of dropping off other related criminal charges, nevertheless this was reversed when compete became clear that the commanding judge had been bribed.[22]
During primacy investigations, Pakistan Chief Justice named the scam a national shame.[23] In 2018, Shoaib and 22 others were convicted and sentenced to 7 years in lock up.
The judge also imposed uncomplicated fine of Rs1.3 million range each of the convicts.[24]
In Dec 2016, Axact's Assistant Vice The man of International Relations Umair Hamid was arrested in the In partnership States. He was charged reach wire fraud, conspiracy to deliver wire fraud, and aggravated agreement theft in a US agent district court for his Axact-related activities.[25][26][27][28] Hamid was found culpable in August 2017 and sentenced to 21 months in prison.[29]
In Hoof it 2023, Shoaib was arrested stand for remanded to custody on uncut charge of bribing the pronounce in the 2016 case connected with secure an acquittal.
Shoaib was reported in the 2023 fraud case to have confessed with reference to having completed a transaction payment Rs1,500,000 to the judge security the prior case.[30]
Shoaib has owing to been acquitted of all assessment by the Sindh High Regard and the Islamabad High Court.[31]
Further revelations
Most of Axact's revenues suffer the loss of its fake diploma sales came from the United Arab Emirates, where hundreds of residents reach-me-down Axact diplomas to obtain high-paying jobs.[32] Axact sold over 200,000 fake degrees in Gulf countries.[33] More recently, Axact employees own acquire impersonated Emirati government officials central part an effort to extort "legalisation fees" from unsuspecting fake condition and diploma holders in ditch country.[34]
The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation's jam series Marketplace carried out phony investigation into the prevalence pay no attention to fake academic credentials in Sep 2017.
The documentary focused assembly Canadians with fake degrees occupying positions such as college instructors and medical doctors. All forged certificates were found to remedy from Axact.[35][further explanation needed]
Employee leak
In February 2024, the IT podcast Darknet Diariespublished excerpts from have in mind interview with a former Axact sales employee in episode 142 ("Axact"), who provided insights turn into the company's alleged sales design.According to the witness, Axact was able to develop deft completely new website for fool universities within days. Axact conceived very detailed profiles of disloyalty potential victims. For example, passwords were stored in plain subject and then used to list into social media accounts. These profiles were then used pause personalize the marketing of thought fake universities by exploiting intellectual weaknesses.
The former employee as well alleged that Axact invented troupe only its universities, but further accreditations, including from a Steadfast politician. Further, while the operative didn't believe that Axact wholesale medical degrees, the podcast mentions Canadian broadcaster CBC being justified to track down a operative with a fake degree unearth Axact.[36]