KARACHI: Special Judge Custom & Taxation Court has acquitted all the accused persons (M/s Pure Enterprises) in the case of importing prohibited pharmaceutical raw material at grossly under-declared values.
An FIR was lodged against M/s Pure Enterprises and Hussain Ravjani of M/s Rajab Ali & Sons, M/s Pure Enterprises imported pharmaceutical raw material under vague description at declared value of $0.3/kg.
The lab results of the imported goods found the goods to be Paracetamol and Aspirin being costly, not less than $4/kg and $6/kg. Moreover, the import of these goods is restricted to be imported only be pharmaceutical industries holding valid manufacturing license. M/s Pure Enterprises is a commercial importer.
According to details, two consignments imported by M/s Pure Enterprises were blocked and the lab tests of the goods found the goods to be Paracetamol and Aspirin. The goods were imported by the same supplier and with same descriptions as usually imported by M/s Pure Enterprises through their agent Hussain Ravjani of M/s Rajab Ali & Sons.
The lab results also confirm that the imported had been using vague pharmaceutical descriptions, and bribed Custom laboratory staff to get reports as per their will to evade revenue and circumvent the provisions of Import Policy.
However, Customs Appellate Tribunal ruled in favor of the importer since one impugned consignment had already been cleared i.e. non-availability of physical evidence, and GDs were not filed for the other two consignments.
Based on the order of Appellate Tribunal, Custom & Taxation Court dismissed the case and acquitted the accused.
An official said commercial importers were importing restricted pharmaceutical goods and selling the same in the market. Moreover, the medicine made from these raw materials was being sold without the knowledge of Drug Regulatory Authority of Pakistan (DRAP).
M/s Pure Enterprises with the assistance of agent Hussain Ravjani of M/s Rajab Ali & Sons had been evading government revenue and importing restricted goods in the garb of vague descriptions.
The official said Customs was being pressurized and blackmailed by all sides, while the judiciary was favoring the culprits. It was known that most of the importers had their agents abroad, and these agents supplied the goods to Pakistan mentioning suitable descriptions in the export GDs, and the importers in Pakistan were taking advantage of this.
Sources said the Tribunals were just shops selling judgments in the favor of accused importers and traders, as they could afford buying favorable judgments. Less 1.0 percent of the accused in white collars crimes are convicted in Pakistan.
Sources said the level of corruption in judiciary was highest in the country. Judges were enjoying lucrative salaries and all the perks on the expense of government, but favoring the culprits to fill their own pockets.
Sources said a rigorous scrutiny and accountability of judges was direly needed to improve the country’s judicial system and to ensure provision of justice.
An official said judges already had lucrative pay packages and they also needed protection to work honestly.