KARACHI: The Special Court of Customs Taxation and Anti-Smuggling seeks comments of Pakistan Customs on an application of M/s Paramount Spinning Mills Limited’s director seeking his acquittal in a case of evasion of customs duty and taxes estimated at Rs 6.7 million.
Abdul Shakoor filed the application under Section 265-K of the Code of Criminal Procedure, which empowers a court to acquit an accused at any stage.
Earlier, Investigation officer Syed Abbas Raza submitted the final challan, declaring Sheikh Riaz Ahmed, Abdul Shakoor, Tanveer Ahmed and Naseer Ahmed — all directors of M/s Paramount Spinning Mills Limited — Safeer Ahmed proprietor of M/s Aliz International and Mirza Muhammad Kamil Baig proprietor of M/s Union Enterprises were released on bail. Muhammad Abdullah, Ejaz Ali and Ali Afzal Shaikh, directors of M/s Paramount Spinning Mills Limited were shown as absconders. Two accused Nusrat R Siddiqui, one of the directors of M/s Paramount Spinning Mills Limited and Muhammad Idrees proprietor of M/s Hi-Ness Enterprises, have died.
He informed the court that Rs 6.54 million out of Rs 6.75 million evaded customs duty and taxes, has been recovered from M/s Paramount Spinning Mills Limited after lodging an FIR against it.
According to the prosecution, M/s Paramount Spinning Mills Limited imported 50 consignments of Zippers YKK brand and subsequently filed general declarations for their clearance through customs clearing agents. M/s Aliz International filed 34 GDs involving Rs 13.363 million with duty and taxes estimated at Rs 4.492 million. Whereas M/s Hi-Ness Enterprises filed 10 GDs valued at Rs 4.148 million with duty and taxes to the tune of Rs 1.333 million and 6 GDs worth Rs 2.841 million with duty and taxes of Rs 927,674 were filed by M/s Union Enterprises.
All the consignments were cleared under SRO 492(I)/2009 without payment of duty and taxes on indemnity bond and post dated cheques. Later it transpired that manufacturing unit of M/s Paramount Spinning Mills, Lahore closed for over a year and the importers failed to fulfil legal requirements. The post dated cheques were sent to the banks but they were dishonoured.
Subsequently an FIR was registered against the importer and clearing agents for fraudulently evading customs duty and taxes.
