KARACHI: Customs Taxation and Anti-Smuggling Court Judge Syed Faiz Rasool Rashdi has acquitted a suspect, Manother R. Achria and convicted another suspect, Hafiz Mehdi Hassan, till rising of the court. Both were booked in a case of duty and tax evasion of Rs 4.2 million.
During the hearing, both parties completed their arguments and after the hearing the court announced its verdict. The court convicted already undergone period (undergone confined in customs/ judicial custody) to suspects namely Tikam Das Khatri, Muhammad Yousaf Baig, Kishore and convicted Hafiz Mehdi Hassan till rising of the court and imposed a fine of Rs 200,000 on him. In default of the payment of fine, he will undergo further one year imprisonment in Central Jail Karachi. The court also acquitted the suspect namely Manother R. Achria as the prosecution could not prove case against him.
According to the prosecution, above mentioned suspects and other were involved in the unlawful clearance of liquor and other bonded goods through their diplomatic bonded warehouse Clifton Karachi, under the garb of ship stores supplies and using fake and forged documents for issuing liquor of various brands from their bonded warehouse to foreign flag ships berthed at Karachi Port and evaded duty and taxes in the tune of Rs. 42, 04, 157. Case was registered for violation of under section 156 (1) (14) (14A) (81) (82) of the Customs Act 1969.
