ISLAMABAD, May 9: Two Swiss investigation officers on Tuesday called on Federal Investigation Agency Director-General Tariq Pervez and discussed plan for a joint probe into the Swiss embassy visa scam, sources told Dawn. The sources said it was decided in the meeting that Swiss and Pakistani investigators would start joint investigation into the matter in two or three days. “Meanwhile, they will share documents and other information to proceed further,” the sources said.
Another FIR had been registered against Ashir Francis, the main accused in the scam, for deceiving a government official, police sources said.
They said the case had been registered with the Secretariat police station on the compliant of Ajmal Khan, a programme officer in the NWFP Sports, Culture and Tourism Ministry.
The complainant told police that he had applied for a Swiss visa on April 26 last year and Mr Francis who was working as an assistant visa officer in the embassy received his passport and a ticket to process the application. The accused did not return the passport, which carried a five-year British visa, for seven months and later informed him that his application had been turned down, the complainant said, adding that documents were not returned to hi even then.
The complainant said he got his passport after intervention by the interior ministry on his request.
“Ashir Francis returned my passport after seven months but I was shocked to see that it had been tampered with and the visa of the United Kingdom had been cancelled,” the complainant said in the FIR.
He said his air ticket for Switzerland was still with the accused.
The Swiss embassy’s assistant visa officer is reported to be in Adiyala Jail on judicial remand on charges of human smuggling.
After registration of the latest case against him, police would request the relevant court to give the accused in their custody on physical remand so that the ticket of the complainant could be recovered, the sources said.
