KARACHI: The Court of Special Judge (Customs & Taxation) has dismissed the bail of Mohammad Ali Chandna, owner of M/s Pure Enterprises and issued his arrest warrants. Chandna is facing investigation pertaining to fraudulent import and clearance of pharmaceutical chemicals, which are otherwise banned to be imported.
According to details, Appraisement West had nominated Chandna in FIRs for the fraudulent import of banned pharmaceutical chemicals.
Later, following an FIR lodged by MCC Appraisement East, Chandna was given into their custody on remand. But later, he managed to obtain bail on payment of Rs5.0 million against the differential amount of tax/duty. He was not put in lock-up, instead a room was given to him at R&D East.
Sources said that Mohammad Ali Chandna was involved in the wrongdoing but he was being played at the hands of a Principal Appraiser at MCC Appraisement East and a non-Customs official (a third party), who was quite close to Chandna.
The said person along with earlier brokered a deal between Chandna and a senior officer of MCC Appraisement East.
Sources said that now the said person was leaking information to Customs officials about Mohammad Ali Chandna. Recently, a place was raided by Customs officials where Chandna was present, but he was given the escape route against alleged payment of official’s demands.
Sources said that the said principal appraiser along with the said third person were keeping pressure on Chandna so as to keep draining him.
An official said that it would be better for Chandna to surrender himself before the authorities and face the proceedings; this would be quite better for him.
It was known that some 83 containers were cleared from MCC Appraisement East which contained the banned pharmaceutical chemicals including Aspirin, Paracetamol and Cefixime under vague descriptions. This ordeal resulted in a revenue evasion of over Rs1.0 billion.