ISLAMABAD: Special Court of Customs adjourned hearing of DP World Containers case because Judge of Special Court was on leave.
Sources told Customs Today that nominated main accused in DP World Containers case, Naeem Qureshi, was present in the court while the Customs Intelligence authorities have shown him as a proclaimed offender in the papers.
Previously by deciding the 27 FIRs in DP World containers case, the Special Court of Customs Taxation and Anti-Smuggling released seven nominated accused who attended the court hearing, while the decision was not announced about the accused who are at large.
Sources said 16 FIRs were registered in Lahore, while remaining 11 were lodged in Faisalabad. All the seven who were released by court in the said case had voluntarily presented themselves before the customs authorities to offer their assistance in the case but they were nominated as culprit in the case by customs. It is important to mention here that some of them were customs’ witnesses in FIRs.
Transporter Shakoor Alam, partner of NJ International Clearing Agency Jamal Durrani, Marketing Manager Faisal Shahzad, gatekeepers of DP World, Sajjad and Abdullah, Importer Kamran Butt and Rana were released in the case.
Talking to Customs Today, Shakoor Alam said that customs official treated the persons who offered their assistance in investigations in the said case as culprit, adding that “we went to customs office to help them but they nominated us in FIRs due to which we have to face court hearings for eight years.” Having said that all, we are ever here to help the customs, Shakoor said.
During the court hearing, no one appeared before the special court to represent the Customs Intelligence, while the counsel for accused, advocate Haseeb presented the arguments in favour of his clients in the court.
Haseeb argued that his clients were not accused but have been involved by the custom intelligence in the case on which special judge recorded the statements of the accused. After analysing the statements and arguments, the court ordered to discharge the name of seven accused from the FIR.
