KARACHI: Directorate General of Customs Reforms & Automation constituted a “Super Audit Team” to conduct examinations and assessments of Goods Declarations (GDs) allocated by the Risk Management System.
Chief Collector Jameel Nasir has issued directives to discourage the practice of ‘package deals’ by appraisement officers (AOs), where goods are mis-declared and cleared improperly. For instance, at SAPT, canola oil was declared as residue and cleared.
In such cases, some officials allegedly take a fixed amount of money from traders to clear a certain number of under-declared consignments.
In October 2024, then Chief Collector Mohsin Rafiq had directed that samples from these consignments of canola oil be tested at HEJ. When the report revealed mis-declaration by the importer, MCC SAPT did not upload it to the system but merely placed it in a file. The consignments were cleared based on an application from the importer claiming they were suffering from demurrage and detention.
Chief Collector Jameel Nasir has consituted a Super Audit Team, though it is unclear how the RMS will assign the GDs to this team. An official mentioned that the FBR is maintaining strict checks and balances on officials to discourage corruption. The official suggested that timely rewards for officials could help eliminate corruption significantly.
