KARACHI: Customs Court Judge Syed Faiz Rasool Rashdi directed the investigation officer to complete investigation and submit a charge-sheet against accused Faisal Abbas, owner of M/s Shafi Shah Muhammad Ghous Lahore, and directors/involved persons of M/s United Marine Agencies (private) limited for deliberately submitting misleading information regarding the false bills of shipment.
During the hearing, investigation officer submitted an FIR before the court and informed it that accused Faisal Abbas has imported two different consignments of weather strip and wool pile weather strip (brush sealing strip) in rolls and weather strip silicate pile (made of high quality woven polypropylene yarn). An information, in this regard, was shared by the MCC Appraisement (West) Karachi after which the MCC (East) has started the investigation and learnt that M/s United Marine Agencies (private) limited Karachi has committed a fraud by issuing fake bills of landing in place of the original ones.
He said that during investigation it was observed that freight forwarders/co-loader/shipping agent M/s United Marine Agencies (private) limited Karachi with the connivance of accused importer have been involved in the clearance of goods by wrongfully declaring the vital information with regard to the shipper’s name, port of loading, country of origin. Goods were actually shipped from Singapore through M/s Hanjin Shipping Lines whose master shipping agent was M/s United Marine Agencies (private) limited. M/s United Marine Agencies private limited with the connivance of the importer electronically fed incorrect information and manipulated Bill of Landing.
According to him, the accused, while filing the Import General Manifest (IGM) in Pakistan Customs Computerised System WeBOC, fraudulently manipulated the shipper’s name as well. The ulterior motive in submitting false and misleading information was to avail inadmissible concession of Pak-China FTA regime under SRO 659(I)/2007 to the extent of Rs41.834million. Case was registered against them by Malik Muhammad Hashim, Preventive Officer, MCC, Appraisement (East), Customs House Karachi.
