KARACHI: A two member bench of Custom Appellate Tribunal comprising Mazhar Ali Ghallu, Member Judicial–I, Karachi and Dr Tahir Qureshi, Member Technical-I dismissed an appeal filed by Messer’s R.A. Impex holding the Order in Appeal No 2069 /2025 passed by Collector of Customs (Appeals) Karachi. The appeal pertains to confiscation of betel nuts imported in year 2023 from Indonesia.
The tribunal in order said that we are of the considered opinion that the release of betel nuts at this stage would be detrimental to the public health, particularly in the light of the laboratory reports declaring the goods unfit for human consumption. The bench however remitted the personal penalty imposed on the appellant holding that “the dispute relates solely to the quality of the imported goods. There is no evidence of deliberate misdeclaration, fraud or any intention to evade custom duties”.
Sardar Zafar Hussain appeared for the Pakistan Customs along with Ms Yusra Rasool, Assistant Collector MCC Appraisement, West, Karachi.
The full text of judgment follows separately.