KARACHI: Customs Appellate Tribunal has imposed penalty on customs house agent and unscrupulous persons (importers) who involved in smuggling of high tariff contraband items, while filing GD it is mis-declared as food stuff by the culprits.
The Appellate Tribunal has imposed penalty of Rs 5 lakh to customs house agent Javaid Zubair and Rs 1 lakh to each unscrupulous person who were involved in the offence of filing false declaration to avoid duty and tax.
The unscrupulous persons who imported the contraband items are arrested namely, Shakeel Ahmed, Faiz Sarwar Khan and Imran Anwar, and liable to pay Rs 1 lakh each as penalty imposed by Appellate Tribunal.
The report said that the importers filed good declaration (GD) in which it was mentioned that container only carried food stuff items. Whereas, importers also used exemption certificate at the time of clearance from KICT, West wharf, Karachi to avoid tax and duty and the consignment was shipped from Dubai.
However, on further investigation of Directorate General of Intelligence and Investigation-FBR it is found that the container did not contain any food stuff but having electronic items as well as the goods on which heavy duty liable to be paid.
After thorough examination, the officials had recovered miscellaneous dutiable items of foreign origin, including electronic goods such as LCD/LED, TVs, water dispenser, car DVD, car speaker, home entertainment systems, electrical items/household appliances, gabardine and polyester suiting fabrics, perfumes, deodorant body spray, and unknown chemical powders and so on.
During examination, it is also unveiled that some banned items of Indian origin were also present in the consignment.
The report said that not a single item of food stuff was found as declared in GD.
According to report, the whole consignment was dumped at a private godown which is situated at Korangi Industrial Area, Karachi from where the high tariff/contraband goods are disposed of in the local market.
A team was constituted for investigation through which assistance had been taken from transporter Ejaz of M/s Jamal goods Transport Company, Khardar Karachi by which truck traced out, where it had been witnessed that the container seal was broken and container was opened with the assistance of accompanying labour and de-stuffing of the goods started from container by supervision of unscrupulous persons.
Declaration contained assorted food items, 1304 packages under HS code 2106.9090, valuing pack of Rs 2.6 lakh was imported in the name of Nigerian High Commission, Islamabad which was cleared against exemption certificate purportedly issued by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Islamabad.
“Prima facie, grossly mis-declared goods imported in the grab of diplomatic cargo were cleared by the culprits for disposal/consumption of the same in the local market,” officials said.
It said that in the grounds of appeal or during arguments the allegations about the mis-declaration was never denied by any of the appellant.
Appellate Tribunal imposes penalty on customs agent, importers over mis-declaration; smuggling of contraband goods reported
