A local court has sent one of the key suspects in the UK Olympics visa scam, Abid Chaudhry, on a 14-day judicial remand. The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) presented Abid Chaudhry, who is associated with the Dream Land travel agency in Lahore, in court on Saturday. FIA officials informed the court that the passport scandal was being further investigated, after which Civil Judge Mati ur Rahman ordered Chaudhry to be sent on a 14-day judicial remand. Previously, the court had ordered a two-day physical remand for the defendant. The scandal came to the fore after a British tabloid ‘The Sun’ published a report of an alleged scam involving fake documents for travel to London, with Pakistan’s Olympic contingent. However, an investigation conducted by the National Database Registration Authority (NADRA) had dismissed the claims, calling the report a “fake scam”. ‘The Sun’ said that its report was based on information gained by a footage of Abid Chaudhry (an agent for the Dream Land travel agency) claiming that for around £7,000 he could get the customer a two-month visa and smuggle him into the London Olympics 2012, as part of Pakistan’s Olympic squad. Chaudhry claims that he is innocent and the real culprit is Mohammad Ali Asad. The Pakistani government has registered a case against Asad for fraud, impersonation and mis-declaration, and is seeing his deportation from the United Kingdom, while declaring him as the main accused in this case.
