KARACHI: Customs Intelligence and Investigation has lodged an FIR against 197 vehicle drivers/owner, staff of MCC Appraisement, MCC Preventive Peshawar, Customs agents and importers for clearing goods imported from Afghanistan without filing of Goods Declaration (GD) and without payment of duty and taxes.
In the back drop of the case FIR Nos. 57 of 2019, 64 of 2019 and 02 of 2020 regarding import of fresh fruits without filing of Goods Declaration and Payment of leviable duty and taxes, an inquiry team was constituted to scrutinize record for the period September 2019 to November 2019.
The data of entry passes and Weigh Bridge etc. were obtained from the concerned authorities for the above stated period. The retrieved data was tallied and reconciled with each other as well as with manual Entry Pass booklets and Gate/Exit Pass booklets issued by the Customs.
Preliminary investigation has revealed than a staggering number of 355 such vehicles have managed to leave the customs premises without paying any duty/taxes and filing of GDs. These vehicles obtained entry passes, presented to NLC Weigh Bridge and then without filing of GD and or getting themselves presented to the customs left the premises against manual gate passes issued to them at the Gate out stage.
These findings are based on threadbare analysis of all the gate passes, weighment slips, entry passes, manual registers and Gate Out data of Weboc. It is pertinent to mention here that these vehicles pertain to the months of September, October and November 2019 only and further scrutiny is under way.
This malpractice deprived the government exchequer of colossal legitimate revenue.
The Preventive Collectorate lodged FIR after the case was highlighted by media whereas Intelligence was investigating into the matter.
Customs Intelligence was was waiting for the details of the drivers and owners of the vehicles. The data has been provided by Pak embassy Kabul and FIR is lodged.