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’ license scandal.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) corporate crime circle completed its investigation into the issuance of fake licenses 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 License (CPL) and Airline Transport Pilot License (ATPL) by CAA on the basis of fake pilot license exams.

The FIA probe revealed that the licensing 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 Licensing CAA, Faisal Manzoor Anwar, Senior Joint Director Licensing Branch CAA, Asiful Haq, Senior Joint Director Licensing Branch CAA, Muhammad Mahmood Hussain, Additional Director Licensing CAA, Abdul Raees, Senior Superintendent Human Resources (HR) Licensing Branch CAA and pilot Muhammad Saqlain, according to a statement issued by FIA Sindh Director Rauf Shaikh.

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 licensing branch and a private person were nominated.

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