KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has restrained the Directorate General of Intelligence & Investigation (I&I) to take any coercive action against a vehicle importer who was booked for submitting bogus pre-shipment inspection (PSI) certificate to get a concrete mixture truck cleared.
Directorate General of I&I had lodged an FIR against M/s Malik Abdul Qayyum Kakar & Co. for submitting bogus pre-shipment inspection (PSI) certificate to get a concrete mixture truck cleared.
According to the details, on the directives of DG I&I Lutfullah virk, Director I&I Asif Marghoob Siddiui formed a team comprising Additional Collector Nadeem Ahsan and Deputy Collector Amjad Rajpar to scrutinize the data and record pertaining to the import of old and used vehicles to confirm the veracity of information that old and used trucks were being imported in the garb of concrete mixtures, sprinkle lorries and prime mover tucks. Old and used trucks are banned according to import policy order.
The PSI certificate, which is a requirement for the clearance of such vehicles, submitted for the subject concrete mixture truck was forwarded to the issuer for verification. Subsequently, it was confirmed the said document was bogus.
The evasion of duty/taxes has been calculated at Rs19.497 million. The vehicle has been seized and seizure report is submitted to the Adjudicating authority while an FIR has been lodged against importer M/s Malik Abdul Qayoom Kakar and Co.
However, the importer filed a petition in Sindh high Court and, as usual, was able to obtain a restraining order staying any coercive action against their allegedly fraudulent attempt. The next hearing of the case is on February 10, 2015.
It may be recalled that Sindh High Court (SHC) had suspended all proceedings in the case regarding alleged duty evasion by motorcycle assemblers by way of pilferage of transshipment (TP) consignments enroute to dry port Hyderabad.
Directorate General I&I had established that some motorcycle assemblers were pilfering the motorcycle parts of transshipment consignments destined from Karachi to MCC Hyderabad.
However, the importers approached Sindh High Court and obtained stay order against any proceedings in the case.
Sources said that it had become a common practice that importers found involved in fraudulent activities and evasion approached High Court and obtained stay order through misleading the court.
It is worth mentioning here that Pakistan Customs on the directives of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has initiated a large-scale crackdown against vehicles importers, who managed to clear over-aged vehicles through fraudulent means.
FBR has also asked Pakistan Customs to provide data pertaining to the import of prime movers, sprinkle lorries and concrete mixtures since 2013. Sources told Customnews.pk that this data would be reconciled with Excise Department to ascertain whether these vehicles are registered as they were imported or otherwise.
If these vehicles are found to be registered as trucks, their registrations would be cancelled and vehicles would be confiscated.
Meanwhile, all the Collectorates have initiated verification of PSI certificates submitted by the importers from their respective issuers.