KARACHI: Renowned lawyer Zain Jatoe has said it is a fact that green channel was purely introduced for legal importers, but some fraudsters are still misusing this facility.
Talking with Customs Today, Jatoe said it is very clear that smuggling is going on through green channel but it cannot happen without the help of customs officials. He said an importer does not go into green channel directly, first of all his all containers are checked under red channel, then if all things are right then he is allotted yellow signal in which containers are checked randomly. Later on, the importer is allotted green signal.
He further said: “Illegal works are going on in our department but we have to see how many FIR’s are launched.” Those officers who detected case of QMobile, one of them has been transferred to Quetta, while others transferred to Peshawar and Islamabad.
He said Chief Justice of Pakistan Saqib Nisar also took notice against mega corruption and revenue evasion through green channel and ordered an inquiry into the matter. He said that action against corrupt elements in customs can only be taken if “proof of their bribe is found, and then FIR is lodged against them.”
Now it is customs officials’ responsibility to take strict action against corrupt elements, but a few customs officials have turned blind eye on clearance of banned and non-certified goods worth billions of rupees through green channel by declaring as scrap.
