ISLAMABAD: The Islamabad High Court administration has decided to register a first information report (FIR) against Axact chief executive officer Shoaib Ahmed Sheikh for bribing a judge to get acquittal in a fake degree scandal case.

A senior IHC official told Dawn that the court’s administrative committee had recommended registration of the FIR against the Axact CEO and additional district and sessions judge (ADSJ) Pervaizul Qadir Memon. He said the matter had been referred to IHC Chief Justice Mohammad Anwar Khan Kasi, and after his approval a formal FIR would be lodged against both with the Federal Investigation Agency under various sections of the Prevention of Corruption Act and Pakistan Penal Code.

On Thursday, the IHC dismissed ADSJ Memon from service after he confessed to having received a bribe of Rs5 million to acquit Shoaib Sheikh in the fake degree case.

A notification issued in this regard by IHC registrar Raja Jawad Abbas Hassan states: “Mr Pervaizul Qadir Memon AD&SJ [under suspension] was proceeded against under the “Islamabad Judicial Service Rules, 2011, read with Punjab Judicial Service Rules, 1994 and Punjab Civil Servants [Efficiency and Discipline] Rules 1999, on the charges of corruption i.e. admission regarding illegal gratification to the tune of Rs5 million for acquittal of accused [Shoaib Ahmed Sheikh] through judgement dated 31.10.2016 in case titled as “The State vs Shoaib Ahmed Sheikh.”

As per the notification, ADSJ Memon had on May 24 last year admitted the receipt of illegal gratification before a departmental promotion committee (DPC) that had recommended imposition of a major penalty — his removal from service.

Consequently, IHC Chief Justice Kasi, acting as authority, issued a final show-cause notice to accused Memon, asking him why he should not be removed from service. The chief justice also offered personal hearing to the accused. The notification concluded that the chief justice had ordered imposition of the major penalty on accused Memon with immediate effect.

ADSJ Memon had on Oct 31, 2016 acquitted Axact CEO Shoaib Sheikh and 26 others in the fake degree scandal case. He was suspended from service on June 7 last year on the charge of receiving bribe in the case.

The Axact case came into spotlight in May 2015 when The New York Times published a report claiming that the company had sold fake diplomas and degrees online through hundreds of fictitious schools.

Published in Dawn, February 17th, 2018