ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has decided to crack down on people making fake COVID-19 vaccination certificates to benefit those refusing to participate in the country’s official immunization drive, reported the local media on Wednesday.
According to Dawn, the National Command and Operations Centers (NCOC), which oversees the country’s pandemic response, instructed the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to act against people making the certificates.
Media reports maintained in August some health department officials in Karachi were manipulating the system by registering unvaccinated people through a software provided by the National Database Registration Authority to generate fake certificates for Rs2,000.
The government also launched an app last month for anyone who wanted to verify COVID-19 certificates issued by Pakistan.
“In a statement, the NCOC said the FIA has widened its scope of investigation and launched a crackdown against such people [making fake certificates],” Dawn reported. “As a result, suspects have been arrested in different cities and the data of citizens who had gotten fake Covid-19 vaccination certificates has been collected.”
The report added the authorities were going to take legal action against the culprits after completing their investigations.
Pakistan recorded 2,714 new coronavirus cases and 73 deaths in the last 24 hours.
The country began its immunization campaign in last February and has so far fully vaccinated about 22.87 million people.
Pakistan launches crackdown against fake vaccine certificates, arrests suspects
https://arab.news/cdzz5
Pakistan launches crackdown against fake vaccine certificates, arrests suspects
- Media reports said last month some health department officials were manipulating the system to generate fake certificates
- The FIA has already arrested suspects in different cities and collected data of citizens who benefitted from these certificates
Two Pakistani men indicted in $10 million Medicare fraud scheme in Chicago
- Prosecutors say defendants billed Medicare and private insurers for nonexistent services
- Authorities say millions of dollars in proceeds were laundered and transferred to Pakistan
ISLAMABAD: Two Pakistani nationals have been indicted in Chicago for allegedly participating in a $10 million health care fraud scheme that targeted Medicare and private insurers, the US Justice Department said on Thursday.
A federal grand jury charged Burhan Mirza, 31, who resided in Pakistan, and Kashif Iqbal, 48, who lived in Texas, with submitting fraudulent claims for medical services and equipment that were never provided, according to an indictment filed in the US District Court for the Northern District of Illinois.
Medicare is the US federal health insurance program primarily serving Americans aged 65 and older, as well as certain younger people with disabilities.
“Rooting out fraud is a priority for this Justice Department, and these defendants allegedly billed millions of dollars from Medicare and laundered the proceeds to Pakistan,” Deputy Attorney General Todd Blanche said in a statement.
“These alleged criminals stole from a program designed to provide health care benefits to American seniors and the disabled, not line the pockets of foreign fraudsters,” he added. “We will not tolerate these schemes that divert taxpayer dollars to criminals.”
Prosecutors said that in 2023 and 2024, the defendants and their alleged co-conspirators used nominee-owned laboratories and durable medical equipment providers to bill Medicare and private health benefit programs for nonexistent services.
According to the indictment, Mirza obtained identifying information of individuals, providers and insurers without their knowledge and used it to support fraudulent claims submitted on behalf of shell companies. Iqbal was allegedly linked to several durable medical equipment providers that filed false claims and is accused of laundering proceeds and coordinating transfers of funds to Pakistan.
Mirza faces 12 counts of health care fraud and five counts of money laundering. Iqbal is charged with 12 counts of health care fraud, six counts of money laundering and one count of making a false statement to US law enforcement. Arraignments have not yet been scheduled.
Three additional defendants, including an Indian, previously charged in the investigation, have pleaded guilty to federal health care fraud charges and are awaiting sentencing.
An indictment contains allegations, and the defendants are presumed innocent unless proven guilty in court.
