MULTAN: Additional Collector Customs Adjudication Talib Hussain issued Order-in -Original (ONO) for confiscation of smuggled Hino crane.
According to details, Customs Anti-Smuggling Organization impounded a Hino truck bearing registration no: JA/7561 / Jaffarbad near Sher Shah Multan Dry Port during road checking. Customs teams asked driver Mubashir Iqbal son of Muhammad Mansha to produce legal import documents of the said crane for procurement of registration book of the intercepted crane. But he failed to discharge the burden of proof as required under Section 156(2) of the Customs Act 1969.
Mubashir Iqbal revealed that his businesses partner Muhammad Sajjad is the owner of crane and he will provide relevant documents to Customs staff .Customs team detained the Hino crane and formed seizure report forwarded report to Customs Adjudication for trial.
During proceeding of said case, Mubashir Iqbal along with his two collective business partners appeared before collector Customs Adjudication and submitted petition stated that legal all record of Hino Crane were put on fire by the violent mob on the eve of Mohtarma Benazir Bhutto assassination on 28th December 2007 and provided FIR copy and newspaper clippings in support of their stance.
Customs Adjudication asked to verify the record of said vehicle through PRAL but no record was found. It has been observed during trial that most of the unscrupulous persons having smuggled vehicles tried to take benefit of the violent incidents upon interception of their vehicles. Owner failed to produce burden of proof required under the Section 156(2) with Section 187 of the Customs Act 1969.
On the basis of presented facts, there were sufficient proofs that said Hino Crane was smuggled into the country through clandestine routes and owner was failed to produce any documents which strengthens the charges of seizing agency enumerated in the show cause.
Hence Additional Collector Talib Hussain issued order to confiscate the Hino Crane Out rightly in the seizure case no.156/2018 under Section 156 of Clause 89(I) of the Customs Act 1969.
