ISLAMABAD: Collector (Adjudication), Islamabad, Dr Muhammad Adnan Akram passing an Order in Original (ONO) has ordered release of a Mazda Mini truck seized for alleged smuggling of non-custom duty paid cosmetics.
The Collector heard the case against respondent Tahir Ameen, driver of the seized vehicle. According to the case made by customs, Assistant Collector Islamabad was tipped about an attempt to smuggle miscaleneous goods upon which a raiding party was constituted which spotted a Mazda truck bearing registration number LES 16-4310 coming from Lahore and a search led to the foreign origin cosmetics. According to department, driver failed to produce the documents at the spot at which the goods were seized and brought to custom house.
The respondent denied the allegations and in reply to Show Cause Notice (SCN) maintained that the items mentioned in the Show Cause Notice were not counted correctly and list should have been prepared in the presence of the owner himself or his representative. The adjudicator noted that impugned goods when re-examined, tallied with the documents provided by the respondents, therefore the goods were legally imported and on the basis of verification report charges levelled in the show cause notice are not established. It was further noted that goods were transported from ware house at Saggian Lahore to a new out let of owner at Chatha Arcade 4, PTD, Islamabad. It was also held that goods freely available in market cannot be declared as being smuggled one on conjectures and whims. The bench with this observation and after hearing arguments by a lawyer from U Trade ordered “unconditional release of the Mazda truck.