KARACHI: A customs appellate bench of High Court of Sindh (SHC) comprising Justice Aqeel Ahmed Abbasi and Justice Mahmood A Khan partly hears 32 Special Custom references filed by Collector Customs against Haji Abdul Razik Khan Brothers and another.
The SCRA’s pertain to import of Sprinkler Lorries used in construction industry. The customs has detained the consignments of lorries on ground that these were not importable due to prohibition under Import Policy Order 2013 over vehicles which are of model older than 5 years.
Kashif Nazeer advocate representing the Collector Customs read out relevant portions from appeal, review, order of Supreme Court etc and said that respondent importer abused law by using same Letter of Credit for different consignments. The LC was opened by Meezan Bank Limited amounting to US S 200,000, he told the court adding that for every new consignment, respondent was to open a new LC. The counsel for applicant Collector Custom also differentiated between a normal LC and a “Revolving LC ” referring to law dictionaries.
The bench also heard respondent/importer who maintained that counsel for applicant/customs is making an incorrect statement. He said that vehicles imported prior to promulgation of IPO 2013 along with proviso to section 4 were covered under IPO 2009. The customs have destroyed my business, said the importer appearing in persons. As other law points were to be heard and decided, the bench adjourned further hearing declaring the said case as “part heard”.