Fake licence scandal: FIA arrests suspected pilot, two CAA officers

KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has arrested a suspected pilot and two officers of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) in connection with the fake licences scandal, ARY News reported on Friday.

The arrested pilot include Malik Abid, senior joint licencing branch director Faisal Ansari and CAA senior superintendent of licencing branch Abdul Raees. It was learnt that 29 more persons are nominated in a case being probed by the intelligence agency’s corporate crime circle.

According to the First Information Report (FIR), 25 pilots are among the suspects who had acquired allegedly licences through the violation of the regulations.

It emerged that the CAA officers had allegedly provided assistance to issue the licences after receiving bribery.

Additional Director Irfan Ahmed said in a statement that a pilot has been arrested for the first time in connection with the ongoing investigation into fake licence scandal, whereas, the names of the suspected aviates were included in the exit control list (ECL).

Earlier in March, it emerged that the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) launched continued its probe into suspicious pilot licences’ which includes 39 individuals and institutions.

Under the three cases related to dubious pilot licences, the intelligence agency is carrying out an investigation against 39 persons and institutions.

Eight aviates of Pakistan International Airlines are among the pilots who had possessed suspicious licences, whereas, 11 pilots had gained the licences privately. Those who acquired licences privately are associated with Shaheen Air, Air Eagle and KK Aviation.

Read: FIA grills senior CAA official in pilot licenses scam

Four cases had been filed against such pilots and officials from the different institutions including Civil Aviation Authority (CAA).

It is pertinent to mention here that the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) had claimed in February to unearth a network -comprising of its employees and some pilots- allegedly involved in the fake pilots’ licenses scam.