FIA exposes illegal immigration network involving senior FBR official

ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has uncovered an illegal immigration network allegedly involving a senior official of the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR).

According to the FIA, a high-ranking FBR officer facilitated the illegal travel of Pakistani nationals to France by falsely portraying them as members of an official government delegation.

The FIA Immigration authorities offloaded two passengers, Muhammad Kamran and Aamir Shahzad, at Islamabad International Airport while they were attempting to travel to France on visit visas. An FIR has been registered against the accused.

During immigration clearance, both passengers raised suspicion and were referred for secondary profiling. They claimed to be FBR officers travelling as part of an official delegation to France for meetings and a visit to the European Parliament.

To support their claim, the passengers produced a hard copy of an alleged official email correspondence exchanged with Second Secretary FBR, Atiq ur Rahman Chaudhary, bearing the subject “Re-Visit of FBR Officers to Paris, France.” The email stated that the visit aimed to explore joint venture opportunities and included plans to visit the Paris Chamber of Commerce and Industry.

However, upon verification, the passengers failed to provide any official documentation, including travel authorisation, nomination orders, employment proof, or approval from the Federal Board of Revenue. FIA officials confirmed that the suspects were neither government officers nor part of any officially sanctioned delegation.

The FIA further stated that the accused intended to travel onward to Spain from France to abscond within Europe and seek asylum, using France merely as a point of entry.

Investigations revealed that Atiq ur Rahman Chaudhary, an FBR officer, facilitated the procurement of French visit visas by falsely presenting private individuals as FBR officials. He allegedly misused his official position, identity, and FBR email address to support fraudulent visa applications.

A detailed forensic examination of the passengers’ mobile phones uncovered records of other individuals, visa status updates, and documentary evidence of payments made for visa arrangements.

Financial records showed that millions of rupees were transferred into Atiq ur Rahman Chaudhary’s bank accounts for arranging fraudulent visas.

The FIA stated that the officer systematically facilitated illegal migration under the guise of official government travel, receiving substantial illegal monetary benefits in return.

The agency has recommended a comprehensive verification process in coordination with the Federal Board of Revenue.

It also urged scrutiny of visit visas issued by the French Embassy and other foreign missions to individuals claiming association with the FBR, in order to determine the full scope, pattern, and modus operandi of the scam and identify other beneficiaries and facilitators.