KARACHI: MCC Quetta has seized a truck trailer owned by M/s E-Movers Pvt Ltd, which was carrying goods including contraband items illegally removed from NLC Dry Port Quetta without filing of Goods Declaration and payment of duties and taxes.
M/s E-Movers is nominated in a number of cases and FIRs pertaining to replacement of transshipment cargo, smuggling of mobile phones and many other scams, however no action was ever taken M/s E-Movers as it is owned by Mansoor Sheikh, brother of Chief Collector Appraisement South Abdul Rasheed Sheikh. Even, the Rules for bonded carriers were changed on the instruction of Chief Collector and Collector Shahnaz Maqbool was used for this purpose. The rules were changed to protect Mansoor Sheikh.
Information was received through collector Quetta Ashraf Ali that a consignment of used auto spare parts arrived at NLC Dry Port Quetta through TP would be removed from the NLC Dry Port Quetta without filing of Goods Declaration and payment of duties and taxes.
Staff of mobile squad Quetta intercepted the said consignment at bypass near Brewery Road, Quetta and brought to the NLC Dry Port Quetta. After going through the record of the consignment, it was revealed that consignment of used auto spare parts imported by M/s Inam Mustafa Enterprises arrived at NLC Dry Port Quetta under Transshipment Permit from Karachi. M/s Muhammad Shafiq & Brothers, Customs Clearing and Forwarding Agent filed an application requesting for de-sealing of a container, which was accordingly de-sealed by the Inspector who made to this effect an endorsement on the relevant column of carrier manifest.
However, instead of filing of Goods Declaration, payment of duties and taxes and fulfillment of all other formalities of goods clearance, the importer Abdullah of M/s Inam Mustafa Enterprises and Muhammad Shafiq of M/s Muhammad Shafiq & Brothers, Customs Clearing and Forwarding Agent in connivance with the staff of Terminal Operator NLC Dry Port Quetta namely Jaffar Ali managed to remove the said goods illegally without payment of duties and taxes in the container loaded/mounted on a vehicle Truck Trailer bearing registration No.TLC-212 owned by bonded carrier E-Movers Pvt. Ltd.
After physical examination of the container, foreign origin goods Betel Nuts and auto parts were recovered, which were also mis-declared in the transshipment permit. The goods have been seized and investigations are underway while efforts are being made to arrest the culprits.
Sources said Chief Collector Abdul Rasheed Sheikh was patronizing certain irregularities and corruption. Abdul Rasheed Sheikh was known to be an honest officer, but a different personality of his was revealed in the last four years. He took strict action against officers and officials receiving speed money, which some quarters say was to cover large-scale culprits. It may be mentioned here that a number of contravention reports were withdrawn and unscrupulous importers were protected in the name of trade facilitation.
It has been a practice that certain dry ports were ‘opened’ for smuggling and other scams, and this time its was Customs Appraisement South. However, none of the officers and officials were involved in this controlled corruption and green channel became the biggest tool. Moreover, a large number of experienced and competent officers/officials were abnormally transferred to bad postings making it easy for the wrongdoers.
Sources said certain senior officers of Pakistan Customs were actually working for influential political figures including ministers and advisors and they had caused a huge loss to the national economy while the pockets of the said political figures were filled.
Sources said Director RMS Shahnaz Maqbool can play an important role in these investigations as to why companies with normal profiles were given green channel status and the companies on which contravention reports were served and these companies were not deprived of green channel facility.