KARACHI: Jang Group reporter Umar Cheema, who stands exposed after manipulating ICIJ’s ‘Pandora Papers’ on behalf of his employer, has a history of forging documents and distorting facts even in the court of law where he submitted false documents in the name of a prime US investigative agency, Bol News investigations revealed.
Cheema submitted fake Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) documents in a case filed against Shoaib Ahmed Shaikh, Chairman and CEO of the Bol Media Group and IT company, Axact through a prosecution witness. This was found out when these fake documents were sent to the FBI headquarters for verification.
The copy of the FBI disowning the fraudulent papers is available with the Bol News management as under.
Cheema had acted at the behest of Mir Shakil ur Rehman, the owner of Jang/Geo Group, who was upset at the launch of the Bol Media Group and had conspired with foreign and local media entities and the government officials to damage the rival.
Cheema had planted the fake documents in this case by cheating the officials of Pakistan’s Federal Investigation Agency (FIA).
Under US law, producing fake documents in the name of the FBI is a criminal offence.
Cheema has scores of other fake news to his name and is seen as his ‘master’s voice’ in the journalistic circles.
In recent days, Cheema has been under fire because he compromised the ICIJ’s investigations against his employer, Mir Shakil, who owned an offshore company. Cheema shared this information with Mir Shakil in advance so that he was able to cover his tracks, at least for public consumption.
Meanwhile, Cheema targeted his employer’s rival business and media people, including Shoaib Shaikh of the Bol Group, by distorting facts and presenting an old under-trial case as a new one.
While Cheema took the reaction of Mir Shakil and a few other select individuals ahead of the release of the Pandora Papers, in the case of Shoaib and a few others, he contacted them after the malicious propaganda campaign had already been launched against them.
The matter is being taken up in the court of law and all other appropriate forums.