I know a few guys who CAA issued an ATPL with only co-pilot time to count towards their license. Double standards are the problem, they cant decide what they want, what they do have though is the ability to issue every Tom Dick and Harry from another country with a validation so us locals have to go to the ass end of the world to do what we love.
I dont know about you guys but I would feel alot more comfortable with a guy that has 1500 hrs co-pilot time with actual experience in the left seat than an instructor with 1500 hrs circuit time in the left when things start getting hairy....
While I was doing my Comm license one of the airschools ATPL instructors went on a x-country to Joburg where they cut infront a King Air on final at Lanseria and after that landed on the wrong runway at Rand... Experience counts boys......
Fly safe
Bubblewrap