ISLAMABAD: The Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation and Model Customs Collectorate at Sost Dry Port has confiscated 29 consignments of Chinese origin, including steel billets imported by M/S Five Star Trading Company. The duty and taxes allegedly evaded on the import of goods amount to Rs 14.93 million.
All legal formalities have been completed in this regard and notice has been issued to all concerned under section 171.
According to the details, information was received through the Rawalpindi Customs Intelligence that M/S Five Star imported steel billets of assorted size from China and attempted to evade duty/taxes payable thereon by mis-declaring the weight of the consignments.
On which Customs North Chief Collector Sarwat Tahira Habib was requested for joint examination of the 29 consignments of the imported billets lying at dry port, Sost. The chief collector granted permission for joint examination.
A team comprising Customs Intelligence Superintendent Zahoor Ahmed Mughal, Gilgit Customs Superintendent Sohail Ahmed Qureshi, Deputy Superintendent Farrukh Azim Satti, Intelligence Officer Abdul Munir, and Inspector Iqbal Gondal conducted joint examination of 29 consignments of steel billets.
It was found that imported steel billets were neither stalked nor categorized consignment –wise; rather all the consignments were laying mixed. Moreover, the steel billets were without any marks and numbers packed in bales and bundles. However, some of them were also in loose condition. Bales were counted. Category-wise measurement of the billets was also done.
There were total 523 bales and bundles, each bale consisting of 24 billets. Consignment –wise weight of the billets was not possible, as the billets were lying mixed.
Therefore, each and every category of the billets was weighed separately. No weighing scale manual or electronic was available. Therefore, the weight was measure at the weighing bridge by the joint team. Record pertaining to the 29 consignments of the imported billets was also examined.
It transpired that the importer M/S Five Star Trading Company, Rawalpindi and Clearing Agent, Sost M/S Eight Wonder with the attempt to evade duty/taxes had mis-declared quantity of billets and weight of the consignments in the GD’s.
Joint examination team prepared a report of consignments of the steel billets stating that “Each consignment consisted of 18 bales except one with 19 bales. Average weight of each bale is 2,399.18 kilogram. Total weight of 523 bales came to 523 x 2399.19 = 1,254,772 Kg as against declared weight of 591,800 Kg.” The report further stated that actual duty/taxes payable was Rs 28.269 million, while the accused imported paid only Rs 13.33 million on declared weight.
The report alleged that “On the above grounds, it is obvious that the above mentioned importer an clearing agent attempted to deprive the national exchequer of legitimate revenue to the tune of Rs 14936,706 in violation of provision of Section 32 and 79 of the Customs Act, 1969 punishable under Section 156(1) 9 and 14 of the Customs Act, 1969 read with SRO 499(1) 2009.
