Online Degree Scam, Online Degree Scam, Online Degree Scam

Online Degree Scam

Online Degree Scam: Chief Justice of Pakistan Mian Saqib Nisar has directed Islamabad High court and Sindh high court to decide about the online degree scam of Axact within one month. Supreme court has also ordered Federal Investigating Agency (FIA) to move intra-court appeals against the quashing of related FIRs against accused persons.

During the hearing, the FIA DG submitted that “Axact” runs websites for over “330 universities” which do not even have campuses. He also asked if it is possible or reasonable that a person can “earn” a degree online within an hour for Rs500,000.

70% of the Axact’s revenue comes from these “universities” and that the company also has 9 other business units and give online degree through its own accreditation platform.

Earlier late lawyer Asma Jahangir moved an application highlighting irregularities in Axact’s businesses and its linkages with Labbaik media house, which operates Bol. In response the bench issued a notice to Shoaib Sheikh to submit a reply to the Pakistan Broadcasting Associations’ request. While the accuser has always denied the allegations against him and he bribed a Supreme Court judge to give judgment in his favor for which the judge is facing a trial too.

The chief justice on the hearing said that any failure to cooperate by the accused will not be accepted. He further stated that the scandal has brought a bad name to Pakistan.

About Axact

As of May 2015, it was being investigated by Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) that Axact is a Pakistani software company that runs numerous websites selling fake academic degrees. The company also sells degrees and thesis to foreign students.

The company was founded by Shoaib Sheikh in 1997 having 2,000 employees. As per media sources, “New York Times “ investigation identified more than 370 websites associated with Axact’s with an accusation of fake diploma operations, including 145 sites for fictitious universities, 41 for high schools, 18 for fake accreditation boards, and 121 degree portals.