Additional Collector Customs (Adjudication) Iram M Aamir also orders release of truck after payment of Rs 30,000 fine
ISLAMABAD: Additional Collector Customs (Adjudication) Iram M Aamir has passed the Order in Original No 49, 2014 in the seizure case of miscellaneous goods, including milk powder, Pearl oil soap, Lux beauty soap, diapers, Osaka Tuff energy savers, Audionic speakers, Dove shampoo, power switch, medicine, sexual tonic, RS Bhargava Whitego kidney tablets and tyres.
After online verification of import documents from PRAL, she ordered to release the milk powder, Pearl oil soap, Lux beauty soap, Dove shampoo, diapers and tyres.
She imposed a 20 percent fine on the medicines of the total value of seized goods in addition to leviable duty/taxes thereon, being non-notified items, and order to release the same subject to production of clearance letter/NOC from the Health Ministry.
She also ordered the release of Nissan truck (JU-2385). She said it became clear the goods were not hidden in the truck. The owner of the truck was not involved in the smuggling. The truck was released on the payment of Rs 30,000 fine.
According to the brief facts of the case, Assistant Collector Customs Preventive Division, MCC Islamabad received information that miscellaneous goods of foreign origin would be smuggled from Karachi to Rawalpindi by a Nissan trailer. On 6 September, at Fateh Jang toll plaza the trailer was stopped and a detailed search led to the recovery of the goods. Driver Zafar Iqbal produced goods receipts (bilti). However, he failed to produce evidence about legal import or lawful possession of the goods.
A show cause notice was issued to the respondent Shahid Golden Star, Rawalpindi; Adeeb Butt, Rawalpindi; M&P (Pvt) Limited, Pakistan; and Phillip Morris Pakistan Limited.
On the behalf of the respondents, Advocate Abdul Rasheed Marwat replied the notices, the lawyer produced import supply documents to prove that the seized goods were legally imported. The documents were produced for goods mention in S No 1 (milk powder); 2 (pearl oil soap); 3 (Lux beauty soap); 4 (Dove shampoo); 7 (diapers; 16 (tyers). All the import documents were verified from PRAL computerised data and found genuine and in sequence.
As far as goods mentioned in S No 5 (energy saver); 6 (speakers); and S No 8 (power switches); no documents have been provided by the lawyer.
As far as goods mentioned in S No 15 (medicines) are concerned, the counsel produced 8- to 14-year-old import documents and requested that the homeo medicines did not expire and the seized medicines are neither banned nor restricted and are rarely used therefore they were supplied from old stock.
After hearing arguments, Additional Collector Customs (Adjudication) Iram M Aamir ordered to release the medicines on the production of NOC from the Federal Health Ministry.
