ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) will be conducting an investigation into how numerous individuals, impersonating lawyers, managed to obtain visas to Europe through the unauthorized use of the letterheads of the Supreme Court Bar Association (SCBA) of Pakistan.
The Supreme Court Bar Association has filed a complaint with the FIA director-general, requesting a comprehensive investigation into the illegal use of its letterheads to transport individuals, who were neither lawyers nor members of the SCBA, to Europe through fraudulent visa acquisition.
According to the SCBA, an unsigned letter was fraudulently issued on its letterheads to the Austrian embassy, facilitating the entry of 39 individuals into Europe who posed as advocates and SCBA members in June of the previous year.
The SCBA stated that this human smuggling incident came to light during the tenure of its predecessors, and it was discovered that the Austrian embassy was approached for Schengen visas using the SCBA’s letterheads. The list of 39 individuals was fraudulently issued, and it had a reference number that had already been used previously.
The SCBA secretary has requested the FIA to conduct a thorough investigation into the matter, identify those responsible for misusing the SCBA’s stationery, and determine who impersonated advocates for the purpose of human smuggling. They have also called for an investigation into the entire correspondence related to visa issuance with the Austrian embassy, including that with the Lahore High Court Bar Association (LHCBA), as well as the individuals or companies involved in arranging air tickets and itineraries for those who escaped.
The FIA has confirmed that it has received the complaint from the SCBA and will initiate an investigation into the matter.
