MULTAN: Additional Collector Customs Adjudication Sumaira Omer issued Order-in -Original (ONO) for confiscation of 10,000 liters smuggled High Speed Diesel and also imposed penalty of Rs500,000 on owner.
Sources told Customs Today that Iqbalabad Police Station District Rahim Yar Khan handed over a suspicious Hino oil tanker bearing registration no: TTD-053/Lasbella to Customs Intelligence and Investigation. Police taken said oil tanker in their custody because oil tanker was not properly sealed and there was absolute risk to human life due to highly inflammable petroleum product.
Customs Intelligence and Investigation requested police to hand over custody of said Oil tanker on suspect of smuggling and asked driver Muhammad Shahid son of Muhammad Ashraf of said oil tanker to produce original documents for verification.
The import documents of said oil tanker found doubtful during examination of Customs Intelligence teams detained the said oil tanker for further verification and drawn sample for chemical laboratory analysis in presence of Hino oil tanker driver. Driver told Customs Intelligence that he used Hino oil tanker for transportation of diesel from different parts of country.
Owner claimed that he is running a filling station in the name of M/s Asia One Petroleum services Sadiqabad and said High Speed Diesel (HSD) oil consignment was lawfully acquired from Total Parco Pakistan Limited.
Customs Intelligence and Investigation carried out its forensic laboratory examination of Hino Oil Tanker which established charge of smuggling and said HSD was carried through clandestine route in the country.
Owner failed to prove legal evidence that M/s Asia One Petroleum services was authorized by the company to sale out the HSD in commercial quantity of 10,000 liters to any petrol pump and they have not provided any sale, bility and stock. Owner submitted irrelevant documents to Customs Adjudication for justification during hearing.
Additional Collector Customs Adjudication Sumaira Omer issued Order-in-Original in the favour of Customs Intelligence that produced documents are not relevant to the seized oil and seized oil was smuggled /non-duty paid and charges leveled in the show-cause notice stand established.
Therefore, Additional Collector Customs Adjudication ordered to confiscate said seized HSD oil out rightly under Customs Act 1969 and imposed penalty of Rs500, 000/ on the claimant.
