KARACHI: Customs Court Judge Syed Faiz Rasool Rashdi directed the investigation officer to complete the investigation and submit charge-sheet against absconding accused Majid Ali, owner of M/s Global Textile, directors of M/s Martitime Agencies (private) limited and others who deliberately submitted misleading information regarding the false bills of shipment and evaded duty and taxes Rs10.4million.
During the hearing, investigation officer appeared before the court and produced an FIR according to which Majid Ali, owner of M/s Global Textile, has imported seven different consignments of various types of cotton fabric and cotton blended fabric in huge quantity therefore an information in this regard was shared by the MCC Appraisement (West) Karachi. The MCC (East) learnt that M/s Maritime Agencies (private) limited, Karachi, has committed a fraud by issuing fake bills of landing in place of the original ones.
He submitted that during the investigation, it was observed that freight forwarders/co-loader/shipping agent M/s Maritime Agencies (private) limited, Karachi, with the connivance of accused importer, have been involved in the clearance of mentioned goods by wrongfully declaring the vital information with regard to the shipper’s name, port of loading, country of origin.
The Preventive Officer, MCC, Appraisement East further mentioned that goods were actually shipped from Korea but M/s Maritime Agencies (private) limited, Karachi, while filing the Import General Manifest (IGM) in WeBOC, fraudulently manipulated the shipper’s name as ‘Janar Textiles SDN BHD’ Malaysia and port of loading as Penang (Georget) Malaysia and during the course of scrutiny it transpired that the aforesaid consignments were shipped from Korea through M/s Korea Marine Transport Co. Ltd and M/s Haniin Shipping’ Lines (shipping lines) whose master shipping agent was M/s United Marine Agencies (private) limited, Karachi. However they authorised M/s Maritime Agencies (private) limited who filed the IGM with incorrect information.”
He said that subjected goods were wrongly declared to avail inadmissible concession of Pak-Malaysia FTA regime under SRO 1261(I)/2007 to the extent of Rs10.4million therefore case was registered under Section 19, 32 (I), 32 (II), 32A, 79 of the Customs Act-1969 punishable under clause 10 (A), 14, 14A and 46 of Section 156 (I) of the Customs Act-1969 read with Import (Control) Act-1950, however no one has been arrested yet.
