KARACHI: Directorate of Customs Intelligence & Investigation Rawalpindi has nominated ex-senator Saif-ur-Rehman and officials of M/s Redco Textiles in the case regarding recovery of non-duty-paid foreign origin luxury vehicles from the warehouse of M/s Redco Textiles.
According to the complaint lodged by the Directorate, information was received through Director I&I Rawalpindi Abdul Waheed Marwat and Additional Director Shahdid Jan to the effect that a huge quantity of foreign origin used luxury vehicles had been parked in the premises of M/s Redco Textiles Ltd in Rawalpindi owned by ex Senator Saif ur Rehman.
The staff of Intelligence & Investigation Customs, Rawalpindi with the help of local Police visited the said premises and resultantly 21 foreign origin used Toyota Land Cruisers/Pickups were recovered.
The vehicles were detained as the manager of warehouse Arif Khan failed to produce the documents of import and lawful possession of the vehicles. Later one person claiming to be Assistant Protocol of Embassy of the State of Qatar appeared and submitted a letter of Embassy of Qatar along with the copy of exemption certificate issued by Ministry of Foreign Affairs. The letter claimed that the vehicles were imported by H.E Sheikh Hammad Bin Jassim Bin Jabbar Al Thani. The letter was found factually incorrect.
According to the documents, the vehicles were temporarily imported for hunting purposes and were to be exported after the end of hunting season, but the vehicles were re-exported. Further scrutiny reveled that 17 vehicles were illegally imported against the certificate of exemption availing the benefit of PCT 9902. It is pertinent to mention here that PCT 9902 is exclusive for import of vehicles/goods by diplomats/embassies/consulates under the Diplomatic and Consular Privileges Act, 1972, whereas permission for temporary import of vehicles by the dignitaries/members of ruling family of Qatar, Behrain and UAE is contained in heading PCT 9905. Therefore, clearance of the said vehicles under PCT 9902 was illegal ab initio.
In continuation of the above information, two more vehicles were recovered from the warehouse of M/s Redco Textiles in Islamabad. Both the properties from where the vehicles were recovered belong to ex-Senator Saif-ur-Rehman. Employees of M/s Redco Textiles Irfan Siddiqui and Arif Khan informed that the vehicles were being used by the family and friends of Saif-ur-Rehman.
The record disclosed that 257 more vehicles had been unlawfully brought and retained in the country since 2012 in identical circumstances. Investigations are underway to ascertain the role of officers/officials of different government offices and other entities who facilitated unlawful import of huge number of luxury vehicles.