KARACHI: FIA has submitted the final challan in the case pertaining to involvement of Customs officers and officials in smuggling and receiving bribes from the smugglers.
Court of Special Judge has issued non-bailable-warrants 36 officers of Pakistan Customs of BS-21, BS-20, BS-19, BS-18 and BS-17 officers.
It may be mentioned here that FIA is being assisted by a sensitive security agency, which reports to COAS.
Two officials including Tariq Mahmood and Yawar Abbas in custody, while ex-collector Aamir Thaeem, Imran Noorani of M/s Sunny Products, ex-collectors Usman Bajwa and Saquif Saeed, Muhammad Tayyab, Bilal Qadri and Muhammad Furqan have obtained bail. Abdul Rasheed, Muhammad Huzaifa, Preventive officers Shahbaz Ahmed, Hasan Sardar, Salah Uddin, ex-collector Feroz Alam Junejo and ex chief collector Manzoor Memon are absconding.
During investigation it was known that SPS Iftikhar Hasan, IO Asad Farooqui, SPS Salahuddin Wazir, Bashir Bhutto, SPO Sohail Sukha, ASI Wajid are also involved in the this organized facilitation of smugglers.
FIA notes it is evident that customs officers/officials are indulged in criminal misconduct by way of facilitating the smugglers of various smuggled items including Irani diesel and betel-nuts against receipt of bribe/illegal gratification.
They have adopted the modus operandi through organized manner by collaboration of Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASO) under Preventive Collectorate and Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASO) under Directorate of Intelligence & Investigation.
The ASO/Preventive present at check-posts allows the smuggled items to enter the cities all over Pakistan with organized mechanism by sending the vehicle number on various WhatsApp group all over Pakistan / Karachi. The vehicle numbers were also shared on WhatsApp groups created by officers of Directorate of l&I Customs to enlist the numbers of vehicles for safe clearance having direct connection with smugglers, hence the smuggled goods cleared / passed were also not seized by ASO/I&I Directorate, thus causing huge loss to National Exchequer.
From carefully examination of documentary evidences, initial technical analysis report issued by Technical Assistant of FIA Cyber Crime Circle, Karachi on the lap top of accused Imran Yousuf Noorani, oral evidences so far collected during the course of investigation and meaningful disclosures of accused persons, it has been established that there is a network of smugglers of betel nuts who smuggled betel nuts from different areas/borders of Balochistan and brought the same to Karachi city which are purchased by the accused owners of the betel nuts companies named above who by way of mixing up a meagre quantity of imported betel nuts into a large quantity of smuggled betel nuts produced/finished the same and then sale in different cities of Pakistan for gaining very handsome profits, as a result of which substantial/huge losses were also caused to the Government Ex-Chequer.
In this regard, officers of Pakistan Customs, Sindh Police, including 01 colonel of Pakistan Rangers also rendered illegal assistances to the accused owners of betel nuts factories and smugglers of betel nuts for pecuniary advantages for themselves and accused owners of betel nuts factories.
According to documentary, oral evidences and meaningful disclosures of the accused persons named above, providing of illegal facilities and illegal assistance to the accused owners of betel nuts factories and smugglers of betel nuts starts from September 2017 during the tenure period of Mr. Manzoor Memon, Chief Collector of Customs who indulged himself for receiving of illegal gratification of huge amounts from betel nuts factories through his sub-ordinate customs officer Mula Aslam (now expired), a trader/cutter of betel nuts namely Sohail Sokha and Customs officer Muhammad Tayyab Khan and during period from September 2017 to beginning of 2019. Accused Ejaz Ahmed Additional Commissioner of IRS also indulged himself for regarding receiving of illegal bribe through customs officer Muhammad Tayyab Khan and private person Sohail Sukha collected from betel nuts companies since 2019 to March 2020. Accused Muhammad Saqif Saeed Collector Customs continued the said illegal practices who indulged himself regarding receiving of illegal bribe through sub-ordinates customs officers SPS Iftikhar Billa, Jabbar Mini, private person Anwar Pathan and private person Haji Dawood Malazai collected from betel nuts companies September 2019 to August 2021.
Besides, accused Ali Raza and Raja Khalid of CTD have in collusion to each other with joint hands also remained involved in demanding and receiving bribe from the betel nuts factories.
he above named accused while posted at higher ranks of Chief Collector, Collectors, Directors, Additional Collectors and Deputy Collectors of Pakistan Customs have used illegal services of their above named accused sub-ordinates customs officers and private persons above in collection of huge bribe money from the owners/purchasers of smuggled goods of betel nuts factories, and smugglers of betel nuts as well as Irani Diesel etc.
So, the above named higher ranks officers of Pakistan Customs kept themselves behind the scene by way of using their sub-ordinate customs officers and private persons for collection of bribe money. Hence, all the above named accused persons, owners of aforesaid betel nuts companies, officers of Pakistan Customs, Rangers, Police and private persons in collusion to each other with joint hands have been found involved in committing crime. Thus they all are liable for prosecution.
Therefore, this Final Charge Sheet is submitted before this Honorable Court for prosecution.
The Digital Equipment so far recovered from the accused persons and seized are still under forensic analysis at FIA, Cyber Crime Circle, Karachi and as and when the Forensic Analysis Reports are received, the same will also be submitted before this Court. A separate. Final Charge Sheet is also being submitted in the Honorable Court of Special Judge Cush & Taxation Karachi.