KARACHI: A few ‘corrupt’ customs officials at Karachi have started clearing smuggled goods through ‘yellow channel’, as they have changed their game plan of clearing these goods through ‘green channel’. This nexus of corrupt officials led by ADC Yasin Murtaza has been supporting smugglers at Port Qasim through green channel facility for years.
Customs Today was the first media house that unearthed the misuse of green channel facility at Port Qasim by ADC Yasin Murtaza but no action was taken by the FBR and Customs high-ups due to his strong ties with these officials. Banned and restricted items including dangerous chemicals and betel nuts have been poured into Pakistan through green channel, showing a close connection of these crooked customs elements with smugglers.
Customs Today recently received a video where it could be clearly seen that a container of betel nuts was seized but customs staff was negotiating to release the container after taking bribe. Betel nuts were hidden under chemicals so that it can be cleared under the garb of allowed low value chemicals.
Sources revealed Dost Muhammad is Incharge of R&D Department which is an internal department of Karachi East Collectorate. This R&D department is responsible to keep a check on documents and data of green channel, yellow channel, red channel to avoid any unscrupulous activity through these channels. But he did nothing to stop any wrongdoing through these channels.
Sources claimed there is a strong nexus of customs staff like ADC Yasin Murtaza at Port Qasim, Khalid Umer Principal Appraiser at Port Qasim and Dost Muhammad at Karachi East Collectorate. They are facilitating illegal smuggling of goods for years.
Sources further revealed, instead of using green channel, these customs officials have changed their plan of action and started clearing illegal goods through yellow channel. These specific goods of banned items like dangerous chemicals, harmful betel nuts, etc. get cleared without examination. Even when sometimes these containers get marked for examination by system then these customs officials negotiate bribe amount with ‘smugglers’ and release the banned items like they tried in this case as shown in the video.
Sources added, luckily in this case, RMS (Risk Management System) department intervened and selected this container for checking. Director RMS Shahnaz Maqbool personally took care that the likes of Yasin Murtaza and Dost Muhammad are not able to take bribe and release the container. RMS ensured that the FIR is lodged in this case.
As per the FIR, M/s Ali Bagh Enterprises, Karachi imported a consignment said to contain “Soap Stock (PCT 1522.0090) Quantity 71250Kgs Value Rs. 917,030/- (USD 7,837.50)” and filed a GD No.KAPE-HC-170594-28-03-2018 for clearance thereof through their authorized clearing agents M/s Faster Line Business (CHAL 2350). The WeBOC’s Risk Management System (RMS) selected Container No. CCLU2383699 (1×20’) for physical examination of the goods. Upon examination, betel nuts were recovered from the container concealed with Soap Stock in drums.
It is worthy to mention that Shahnaz Maqbool has always played her role to curb the menace of smuggling. During her tenure as Collector Karachi West, she had caught a huge consignment of smuggled goods including 31,000 smuggled mobile phones worth over Rs500 million. She was then immediately transferred from Karachi West because smugglers were supported by the seniors in the Customs department. Even after suffering from such suppression, she managed to block this container and uncover the miscreants at Karachi East Collectorate who are working hand in gloves with the smugglers of banned items.
Sources revealed that green channel IDs are being rented out to others and others are also misusing such IDs to clear banned items. In this FIR, Karachi East Collectorate is now accepting this fact that one Muzaffar Abidi approached Muhammad Ibrahim for arranging an ID. In turn, Ibrahim arranged the ID of M/s Ali Bagh through a middleman Javed.
This shows how easily IDs change hands from one person to another. How easily IDs including green channel, yellow channel are available to use for import of banned items. How middle men are easily approachable and IDs are easily available for misuse.
Even a new person like Ibrahim as claimed in the FIR could arrange an ID easily. It is impossible that such a known and an open illegal practice is hidden from the customs staff specially the incharge of R&D Dost Muhammad. R&D is supposed to be research and development which should know more than a first timer like Ibrahim.
There is a scheme of these customs officers like Yasin Murtaza, Khalid Umer and Dost Muhammad in allowing green channel IDs to smugglers and also to allow multiple smugglers to use single IDs.
Even after timely coverage and information, these corrupt elements are unstoppable. Who will stop them? FBR and Customs high-ups keep mum over its staff’s illegal activities.
It is now the duty of the NAB to intervene and launch investigation into corruption of these officials to save the exchequer from huge losses.
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