Pilot, CAA officers arrested in fake licence scandal

KARACHI: A pilot and five officers of Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) have been arrested by Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) besides registration of three cases were also filed in fake pilots’ licence scandal, ARY News reported on Friday.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) corporate crime circle completed its investigation into the issuance of fake licences to pilots. Overall six arrests have been made including a pilot and five officers of the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) by the agency’s corporate crime circle.

The accused were allegedly involved in the issuance of Commercial Pilot Licence (CPL) and Airline Transport Pilot Licence (ATPL) by CAA on the basis of fake pilot licence exams.

Read: CAA takes steps to remove ICAO’s concerns over pilots licencing

The FIA probe revealed that the licencing exams had been conducted eight on public holidays, weekends and post office hours, whereas, some exams of the pilots were held when they were performing domestic and international flights.

The arrested persons include Khalid Mahmood, Acting Additional Director Licencing CAA, Faisal Manzoor Anwar, Senior Joint Director Licencing Branch CAA, Asiful Haq, Senior Joint Director Licencing Branch CAA, Muhammad Mahmood Hussain, Additional Director Licencing CAA, Abdul Raees, Senior Superintendent Human Resources (HR) Licencing Branch CAA and pilot Muhammad Saqlain, according to a statement issued by FIA Sindh Director Rauf Shaikh.

Read: CAA to adopt UK-like system for licencing, examination of pilots

It stated that the registration of First Information Reports (FIRs) was made by FIA’s corporate crime circle in Karachi over the written complaint of CAA Deputy Director General Regulatory in which 40 pilots, eight government officers of CAA licencing branch and a private person were nominated.

It emerged that 102 out of 141 pilots suspected of obtaining dubious licences are belonging to the national carrier, Pakistan International Airlines (PIA). During the initial departmental action, 28 licences had been terminated and seven more were suspended by the aviation authority.