KARACHI: Collector of Customs Port Qasim Saeed Akram has ordered registration of cases against 10 suspects who were allegedly involved in tax evasion, including four appraising officers, sources said.
However, the process of filing the first information report was delayed because the importers and clearing agents, involved in the case, filed a petition in the court against the custom officials, sources added.
Sources from Port Qasim Collectorate told Customs Today that the Collector Customs Port Qasim came to know that some importers were involved in tax evasion through mis-declaration. Under the direction of Chief Collector Abdul Rasheed Shaikh, Akram deployed a team to investigate the matter.
During the course of investigation, it was revealed that importers in connivance with some appraising officers, including Mehboob Dawood Vohra, Khalid Parwaiz and Aasfandyar, were involved in clearance of their consignments during the last one year and succeeded in evading duties and taxes of Rs 30 million.
According to the sources, Mehboob Vohra has been recently transferred to Group-II from Group-VII while the Asfandyar was appointed in customs in the beginning of this year on the recommendations of Federal Public Service Commission whereas the appraising officer Khalid Parwaiz was assigned Group-I and FTA Cell during the month of March of the current year.
Source disclosed that a total of 10 suspects, including customs employees, importers and clearing agents, have been nominated in the report after the collection of evidences against them.
According the sources, Collector Saeed Akram directed the team not to spare any person and ordered to registered a solid case against them but when team drafted the content of the FIR some black sheep of department informed the suspects who immediately moved the court to avoid the registration of the FIR.
