Pakistan's honour is supreme, observes CJP in Axact fake degrees case

ISLAMABAD: Chief Justice of Pakistan Justice Saqib Nisar remarked on Tuesday that Pakistan’s honour is supreme and everything else is secondary.

He made the remarks as the Supreme Court heard its suo motu on the Axact fake degrees case.

The Axact scandal surfaced in May 2015, when The New York Times published a report had claimed the company sold fake diplomas and degrees online through hundreds of fictitious schools, making “tens of millions of dollars annually”.

The chief justice had taken suo motu notice of the scandal on January 19.

During today's hearing, the counsel for the Pakistan Broadcasters Association informed the court that the company’s capital is Rs7 million whereas its salaries’ head is Rs8 billion.

The chief justice remarked that the existence of accounts with billions of rupees will have to be traced, adding that the Federal Board of Revenue can be tasked to do an audit so the facts can surface. The case is bringing Pakistan into disrepute, he observed further.

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During the hearing, Axact’s counsel informed the court that statements of 18 witnesses have been recorded in the case under way in Karachi.

The PBA counsel claimed that the company is using money earned illegally, adding that the entire media industry is at stake.

Moreover, during the hearing, the chief justice dismissed PBA’s plea to become a party in the case.