Former chief of Pak drugs regulatory body arrested for holding fake PhD degree

The FIA's anti-corruption unit detained Sheikh Akhtar Hussain, the ex-Chief Executive Officer of DRAP, following revelations that his appointment to the regulatory authority, based on a purported PhD degree, was discovered to be fake, according to an FIA spokesperson.

"He was appointed CEO of the regulatory authority on the basis of a PhD degree, which was found fake," ARY News quoted a FIA spokesperson as saying.

Sheikh Akhtar Hussain assumed the role of CEO of DRAP in the 2018-19 period.

The FIA's arrest of him occurred subsequent to the dismissal of his pre-arrest bail by a special judge in the central region.

The Federal Investigation Agency's anti-corruption division initiated legal proceedings against the former DRAP CEO for allegedly holding a fraudulent PhD degree.

The FIR stated that Hussain used a questionable doctorate degree to secure the CEO position at the country's leading drug regulatory body.

The authenticity of the PhD degree was confirmed to be fake by the Sri Lankan Interpol, as the institution granting the degree was not recognised, ARY News reported.

The Joint Investigation Team (JIT) of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), is investigating around 100 allegations against the DRAP since November 2023.

On November 27, an FIR was lodged against the authority's former chief executive officer (CEO) after obtaining proof regarding his fake PhD degree, Dawn reported.

The FIA teams raided several locations in Islamabad and Lahore to arrest former CEO Sheikh Akhtar Hussain but were unable to do so in November.

The accused was dismissed by the federal cabinet in 2020 on the directions of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) after his doctorate degree turned out to be fake.

However, Hussain said that his degree was recognised in Sri Lanka, the country from where he claimed to have completed his PhD, as reported by Dawn. (ANI)