Pay salaries to Bol TV's ex-employees in ten days, orders SC

ISLAMABAD - Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered Bol TV on Tuesday to clear the salaries of former employees within ten days.

Chief Justice Mian Saqib Nisar issued the orders while hearing a case pertaining to Axact fake degree scandal taken up by the apex court in January this year. He ordered Axact’s counsel to submit Rs100 million to clear the arrears of the employees.

https://en.dailypakistan.com.pk/headline/cjp-saqib-nisar-takes-suo-moto-notice-of-axact-fake-degree-scandal/

The Chief Justice warned of stern action on not depositing the money, adding that Shaikh could be sent to jail again on non-compliance.

During the hearing, the top judge asked about the total amount claimed by the workers, to which, the counsel informed the court that the workers had claimed for Rs300 million.

CJP Nisar said that a month was given to sort out the issue but a meeting was held one day ago just to fulfil the formalities.

The lawyer for Axact asked the court to pledge property or something else as it was not easy to deposit Rs100 million.

The Chief Justice remarked, “It is not difficult for you as the amount could be collected by selling two degrees”.

The lawyer added that the channel was taken over by the ARY CEO Salman Iqbal during the crisis, adding that the payments for two months were liable to Iqbal.

Meanwhile, the court has also ordered the lower courts to wrap up the cases regarding fake degree scandal within two months, besides summoning total record in the case.

The chief justice, during the hearing, asked if the Axact chief got bails in all cases. The counsel replied in yes.

Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) director general informed the court that Shoaib Shaikh was not cooperating in his trial. To which, the chief justice said that the bail should be cancelled if he did not make cooperation.

Currently, the case against the Axact officials is being heard by Sindh High Cout, Karachi sessions court, Islamabad High Court (IHC).

On April 25, a two-member bench, comprising Athar Minallah and Miangul Hassan Aurangzeb, declared the sessions court’s decision of acquitting Axact head Shoaib Shaikh null and void.

The high court had ordered Islamabad west sessions judge to hear the respondents’ arguments again.

Case History 

The scandal of fake degrees was first disclosed by New York Times in 2015, accusing a Pakistan-based company, Axact of selling degrees of hundreds of fake universities and schools run by the software company to people around the world, including Indians based in the Middle East.

Umair Ahmad, vice president of Axact, was arrested in the US last year and was sent to prison for 21 months after he confessed to committing wire fraud in connection with an international “diploma mill” scheme. In addition to the prison term, Hamid was ordered to forfeit $5,303,020.

Following a news story in New York Times, CEO Shoaib Ahmed Shaikh, managers Viqas Atique, Zeeshan Anwar, Mohammad Sabir and Zeeshan Ahmed and 14 other officials/employees of the software firm were booked in May 2015.

In its report submitted to the sessions court, the FIA alleged that evidence forensically extracted from Axact’s databases between 2010 to 2015 showed that diplomas and degrees of fake universities based in the US had been issued to over 240,000 students of different countries, Dawn reported.