Dubai: Pakistan authorities on Wednesday expanded the scope of inquiries into the affairs of Axact company a day after the company offices were raided in major cities of the country.
Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) continued a probe the fake degrees scandal related to Axact company after a report in the New York Times.
The Deputy Director of FIA, Kamran Atta Allah, said that required data has been collected from the company’s office to be examined by a forensic team. FIA sources say a decision about whether to extend the probe to the Axact office in Dubai and approach the UAE authorities in this regard will be taken after completing the just-started home probe.
An official at the Pakistan Consulate General in Dubai told Gulf News that they are also looking into the matter and will approach the UAE authorities as soon as they get a request from the FIA back home.
The Revenue Board of Pakistan has also asked the company to provide details of its contract with Axact FZ LLC in Dubai.
Atta Allah, who is also the inquiry officer of the Federal Information Agency (FIA), told media in Pakistan that all the necessary records were taken into custody to conduct a detailed inquiry of the transactions, dealings and accounts.
He added that notice was also served on Shoaib Ahmad Shaikh, chief executive officer of the Axact company, to appear in the FIA office to record his statement.
FIA sources said that huge 120 terabyte data existed on the main servers and computers of the company and it needed a great deal of time to copy the data and then carry the forensic examination.
Sources from Sindh Board of Revenue, the provincial tax collection authority, said that they have also served notices on the Axact company, seeking explanation for its income and general sales tax issues.
Sources at the board said that the company had 600,000 shareholders but the names of only two people were declared on the record.
Documents acquired by Gulf News shows that out of the 600,000 shares, one each is held by Shaikh and his wife, Ayesha, while the remaining 599,998 shares are owned by Axact FZ LLC in Dubai.
With inputs by Mohammad Ashraf, Correspondent in Karachi