KARACHI: An owner and a manager of a petroleum filling station located at Korangi Fish Harbour catering to fishing trawlers and boats were admitted to pre-arrest interim bail against a solvent surety of rupees 100,000 each and Personal Bond in the like amount.
Qari Kazim Raza owner and Ghazanfar Abbas Zaidi, Manger of Falcon Oil Filling Stations sought bail in a FIR ASO -37/2021 (HQ), NMD Wharf, Karachi dated 19-01-2021.
According to FIR, as part of country wide operation against illegal Petroleum product outlets and dumping sites wherein smuggled, non duty paid POL products were stored and sold, a joint party of Customs headed by Preventive Officer Saleem Yousuf, District Administration and Police conducted a raid at filling station of the said company Plot No D-1, KFHA and seized 110000 Litres of Diesel, 3602 Litres Oil Lubricant, Coolant and Grease besides six tanks and a dispenser, all worth Rupees 17,433,300. It was alleged that POL products were smuggled ones.
The party served a notice under section 26 of the Customs Act to the Manager. The accused were asked to produce dealership authorization etc including OGRA permission.
Seeking a bail against apprehension of arrest under the said FIR, a counsel from Franklin Law Associates pleaded bail pleas before the Special Judge, Customs, Excise & Taxation, Karachi.
The counsel from Franklin Law Associates submitted that all products were dulu purchased from Byco Petroleum and that filling station has been established after the place was bought in an open auction. Besides the NOC from Malir Development Authority and Commissioner Karachi Division have been obtained and no breach of law was caused by the applicants/accused.
The jurisdiction of Preventive Collectorate was also questioned during the arguments.
The trial court after hearing initial arguments admitted both the accused/applicants to interim bail against a solvent surety of rupees 100,000 each.
It is worth mentioning here that dozens of cases have been lodged on identical grounds in Hyderabad and Karachi by Customs in previous few days.