KARACHI: Justice Muhammad Shafi of High Court of Sindh (SHC) on Tuesday dismissed a petition filed by Pak Suzuki Motors in 1998 with reasons to be recorded later.
The petitioner challenged show cause notice issued to them on alleged charge of removing goods from the bonded warehouse without payment of Customs Duty, Sales tax etc in 1994. The petitioner challenged the show cause before the departmental authority on ground that custom duty was paid on five consignments of CKD kits, which finally were converted into CBU (Completely Build Units), and thus nothing was unpaid. They further maintained that their factory place is itself a declared bonded warehouse and hence no removal of goods illegally could be alleged. The petitioner also craved for concessionary rated of duties etc.
The respondents including Collector Customs Bonded warehouse and Appraisement and Assistant Collector, Custom Bond II maintained during litigation that 544 vehicles of model SA 310 and 144 vehicles of SF 413 were found short. They raised a demand of duties to the tune of rupees 327260000.
The petitioner maintained that rupees 29,964,278 was in fact payable and a sum of rupees 12,049,482 was paid and rupees 17,914,796 was payable still.
The petitioner later approached the Customs Appellate Tribunal, which also dismissed the appeal.
The bench today after hearing concluding arguments from both the sides including Masooda Siraj, counsel for Pakistan Customs dismissed the petition. The detailed reasons will follow; the bench ordered deciding the 18 years old petition.