KARACHI: MCC Port Qasim has lodged an FIR against Dalair Khan of M/s Hikmat Traders, Abdul Rehman Siddique of M/s Al-Rehman Associates for evading government revenue of Rs62.736 million and getting delivery of imported goods by submitting forged Goods Declaration.
According to the details of the case, M/s Hikmat Traders filed Constitutional Petition challenging imposition of Regulatory Duty in terms of SRO 1265, and High Court directed the importer to deposit 50% of disputed amount of RD before the concerned Collectorate and to furnish Bank Guarantee/Pay Order in respect of the remaining 50% of disputed amount before the Nazir of the Court.
Since the module for catering such situation was not available in WeBOC System, the importer was allowed to file 28 GDs in One-Customs. Meanwhile, information was passed through Collector MCC Port Qasim Mumtaz Khoso regarding evasion of duty and taxes by the importer. Additional Collectors Honak Baloch and Mushtaq Shahani were assigned to secretly investigate the case.
The initial scrutiny of the record transpired that these 28 GDs were filed by clearing agent M/s Al-Rehman Associates. The goods were physically examined and container-wise inventories were prepared in respect of the said consignments. The Appraising/Examining Officer endorsed the examination reports on the reverse of these Goods Declarations in line with inventories prepared at the time of physical examination and GDs were assessed provisionally.
Inquiry found that the importer and authorized agent subsequent to the endorsement of examination and assessment of the GDs tampered the examination and assessment reports by inserting ‘decimal’ in the figures of quantities and overwrote the values of the goods to show lower assessed values.
The clearing agent/importer took the delivery of the consignments on lesser amount of duties and taxes than the actual leviable duties and taxes.
The actual role of Customs officials, PRAL officials and their negligence or involvement is also being ascertained. An FIR has been lodged and investigations are underway.
It may be mentioned here Collector Mumtaz Khoso has made very effective measures to plug revenue leakage. Khoso also ordered examination of unclaimed consignments in view of the import of high tariff goods in the garb of used clothing and also ordered examination of consignments clearing through green channel.
MCC Port Qasim had also detected a case wherein accused importers took delivery of imported goods through submitting fake and gorged documents.