KARACHI: The Customs Appraisement East has foiled a bid to import pesticides in the garb of dimethyle formamide (DMF), and send the samples to laboratory to ascertain the category of the pesticides.
According to details, Mohammad Asif s/o Nadirullah of Sundus Fertilizers and Chemicals Pakistan (Pvt) Limited, who is also the President of Vehari Chamber of Commerce & Industry, imported a consignment and sought clearance declaring the goods to be DMF classifiable under PCT 2924.1990.
Following the directives of Collector Appraisement-East Najeeb Abbasi, the Deputy Collector Qasim Khokhar, Principal Appraiser Javed Akhtar and Appraising Officer Noor Elahi were monitoring the imports made by the same person and upon examination and subsequent tests revealed that the goods were pesticides.
It may be mentioned here that R&D section of MCC Appraisement East has already lodged an FIR against Mohammad Asif for evading tax and duty worth Rs5.4 million through mis-declaration of imported goods.
The goods found in the consignment are used for agriculture purpose and are banned to be imported without a license from Ministry of Health for its import.
It may be mentioned here that Mohammad Asif and Sundus Fertilizers and Chemicals Pakistan (Pvt) Limited do not come with a clean reputation as they had already been found involved in mis-declaration and duty evasion and MCC Appraisement East prepared a contravention against them earlier.
Moreover, their clearing agent Rehmat Trading has also been involved in mis-declaration case with MCC Appraisement East. Rehmat Trading sought clearance of a consignment declaring it to be MEG and the goods were found to be pesticides.