KARACHI: The three-member fact-finding committee of the Customs Department has initiated investigation into a scam involving Rs450 million in the clearance of 1,900 vehicles on short surcharge payment under the Vehicle Amnesty Scheme. The committee, comprising Collector (Exports) Dr Wasif Memon, Additional Director Directorate of Intelligence and Investigation Khalil Yousfai and Additional Collector (Audit Collectorate) Khalid Jamal, has been constituted to ferret out facts surrounding the scam and implement the Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) directives in this regard.
The committee is scheduled to submit its report by April 30, 2014.
Meanwhile, head of the committee Dr Wasif said that it would be premature to say anything about the scam as inquiry was at the preliminary stage. He said the committee was constituted to ascertain facts and ensure implementation of the FTO directives.
It is to be noted that six overseas Pakistanis, in a joint complaint to the FTO, accused the customs authorities at Karachi of releasing car imported by overseas Pakistanis involving infringement of age limit prescribed by the Commerce Ministry in SRO 1441(I)/2012.
They said the complaint was investigated and the allegation of discrimination was found maintainable, hence the FTO recommended suitable measures to resolve the issue. Later, the Customs Department filed a review petition to set aside the FTO decision but it was rejected due to misrepresentation intended to mislead the FTO and the FBR. Taking all the facts into account, the FBR Member Customs sought a report from the Collectorate concerned on the issue.
However, the report submitted by the Model Customs Collectorate of Appraisement (West) confirmed that customs officers at the said Collectorate (car group) had been doing jobs of either assessment of vehicles under Vehicles Amnesty Scheme or as the assessments were made after reduction of age limit of cars from 5 to 3 years with effect from December 15, 2012. The report said that all these issues surfaced after en bloc transfer of those officials in November, 2013 from the Collectorate after remaining there for the last many years.
The report said that en bloc transfer played havoc and damaged the historical professional locus standi of the Custom House. It said that leviable surcharge on import of old and used vehicle was not being calculated correctly since June 2012 to November 2013 and around 1,900 vehicles were cleared involving a short payment of surcharge estimated at Rs450 million.
Moreover, the report said that the assessment group concerned had been directed to segregate each file, audit it and raise the demand for short levied amount. The report further said that the demand for Rs328 million had been raised in 1,397 vehicles while rest of the vehicles were being searched.
