KARACHI: An appellate bench of High Court of Sindh fixed Oct 23 to hear a number of constitution petitions filed by importers of scrap computers as their consignments were detained by Pakistan Customs Appraisement, East on ground of misuse of transshipment facilities, mis-declaration and evasion of duties, taxes and other leviables worth billions of rupees.

The petitions were filed by Zeeshan Afzal of K.K.Metal Industries, Sialkot.

According to details petitioner imported a consignment and declared it to be consisting of scrap computers, telephones and other unusable electrical items from which different metals are to retrieved, salvaged, extricated and recycled for re-export. The entire work to be done at processing unit of the petitioner located at Export Processing Zone, Sialkot after the goods were cleared from port at Karachi and trans-shipped to Sialkot EPZ.

The customs however on suspicion conducted an examination jointly by DIT and MCC Appraisement East in which 14,400 Satellite Dish Recievers, mobile phones and other electronic items were found. Besides beer, wine and CLI telephones were also found stuffed.

According to the initial evaluation it was found that importer/petitioner has evaded duty and taxes worth rupees 84,603,157.

Further investigations lead to the detection of several cases of identical nature in which misuse of transshipment facility, misdeclaration and evasion of custom duty and taxes were established. The FIRs were registered and the goods were confiscated with option of redemption to the importer/petitioner. Khalid Rajpar advocate representing MCC East on previous hearing firmly opposed the interim relief prayer and informed the bench of modus operandi of the petitioner causing loss of billions of rupees in duty, taxes etc .

The appellate bench asked the petitioner side to compe up with the reply to points raised by the Respondent MCC East saying that as allegation leveled are of serious nature, petitioner shall replyto the same in the first instance.