The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has announced to launch an investigation into the unauthorized use of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) of Pakistan’s letterheads, leading to the illicit transportation of non-lawyers and non-members of the association to Europe via fraudulent visa acquisition.
The SCBA has formally lodged a complaint with the FIA director-general, urging a thorough probe into the matter. The SCBA disclosed that an unsigned letter, purportedly issued on its letterheads, had been submitted to the Austrian embassy in June of the previous year, facilitating the entry of 39 individuals into Europe under the false representation of being advocates and SCBA members. The association uncovered that this list was fabricated fraudulently with a reused reference number, further compromising the legitimacy of the actions taken.
In August 2022, the SCBA office in Lahore received an email forwarded from the Lahore High Court Bar Association, revealing the involvement of the Austrian embassy in verifying the aforementioned list of 39 individuals. Following an internal inquiry, the SCBA Secretary Muqtedir Akhtar Shabbir expressed suspicions that the majority of the individuals on the list had managed to evade return, thus heightening concerns about potential human smuggling activities.
Given the severity of the situation and the consequential risk to the SCBA’s reputation, the SCBA secretary implored the FIA to conduct a comprehensive investigation to identify those responsible for misusing the SCBA’s stationery, creating the list of 39 individuals, and facilitating the act of human smuggling. Furthermore, the SCBA emphasized the necessity of uncovering the individuals who had impersonated advocates for the purpose of perpetrating these illicit activities.
Additionally, the SCBA urged the FIA to thoroughly investigate all correspondences with the Austrian embassy concerning visa issuance, including those with the Lahore High Court Bar Association, as well as the entities responsible for managing the air tickets and itineraries of the individuals who had escaped.
It is imperative to note that the staff at the SCBA registry branch in Lahore vehemently refuted the existence of the aforementioned list of 39 individuals, categorically denying any involvement in its creation or the unauthorized use of official stationery.
