KARACHI: Customs Court Judge Syed Faiz Rasool has rejected bail applications of the suspects, Tauseef Ahmed Siddiqui owner of M/s Saras International and Abdul Hameed of M/s Al Hameed Enterprises, Karachi. The suspects were arrested on September 3, 2016 while attempting to smuggle 508 black spotted turtles to Malaysia.
During the hearing, counsel for the suspects submitted that the applicants were innocent and were falsely implicated in this case. He added that applicants were not previously convicted in any case and no any case was pending against them in any court.
The counsel further argued that applicants were law abiding citizens and ready to furnish solvent surety to the satisfaction of this court; therefore, the court may grant them bail.
However, special public prosecutor argued that prosecution has sufficient evidences against the accused persons who were smuggling turtles out of them mostly found dead during illegal export; therefore, accused persons were not entitled to any relief.
After both hearing arguments, the court rejected the bail applications of the accused persons. After rejecting bail applications accused were sent to Central Jail Karachi on judicial custody.
Earlier, Investigation Officer Farhat Ullah Jafri submitted challan and informed the customs court that According to the prosecution, the staff of the Customs Intelligence-Enforcement lodged FIR No 36/2016 dated August 16, 2016 against the accused persons who have been found involved in the smuggling and illegal export of 508 black spotted turtles, shipped to Klang Selangor, Malaysia dated April 25, 2016. The goods declaration was filed through M/s SARAS International, Karachi under the garb of export of 29 metric tonnes of fresh potatoes of Pakistan origin.
The investigation officer further informed the court that the during the investigation it transpired that the consignment was cleared through green channel of computerised system on declaration without physical examination and assessment through Model Customs Collectorate Export.
He further revealed that during the smuggling and shipment 483 turtles were expired and only 25 remaining were alive..
Names of Ministry of Climate Change Assistant Secretary Muhammad Samad Hussain Khan and Imtiaz Ali were mentioned in the challan as witnesses.
Accused persons namely as Abdul Hameed and Tuseef Ahmed Siddiqui had sent to jail in judicial custody; however Muhammad Rafi and Muhammad Rashid Hussain, Muhammad Hussain’s names were mentioned as absconding accused.
