ISLAMABAD: Directorate General Customs Intelligence and Investigation (I&I) has shown tremendous performance under the supervision of Director General Shaukat Ali and has detected a case of duty and tax evasion through under invoicing and smuggling of liquor amounting to Rs 737.431 million by M/s Sun Diplomatic Bonded Warehouse (Pvt) Limited, Sector F-11/4, Islamabad.
Sources told Customs Today that information was received through Director General Customs I&I Shukat Ali that M/S Sun Diplomatic Duty Free (Pvt) Limited Islamabad are involved in smuggling of liquor under the garb of import.
The company is operating a diplomatic bonded warehouse on a licence granted by the Model Customs Collectorate, Islamabad, and imports alcohol against import authorization issued by the Ministry of Commerce for sale to the diplomatic and privileged persons.
According to Customs I&I Rawalpindi the licensee imported various brands of liquor like Johnny Walker, Red Label, Whyte and Mackay Whisky, Hedges and Butler Royal Vodka and cleared the same on the values grossly on the lower side.
In fact, the licensee used the modus operandi of under invoicing and mis-used the authorization issued by Ministry of Commerce and succeeded in smuggling a huge quantity of liquor into the country at the cost of national exchequer and in breach of provision of Customs Act, 1969 section 2 (s), 16, 25, 32 (1) and (2) and 32A.
According to details, M/s Sun Diplomatic Bonded Warehouse had import total 1,092,375 litersliquor, of which the actual value was Rs 582.371million and actual duty and taxes were Rs 825.104 million but the duty and taxes paid on liquor issued to non-diplomats through ex-bond GDs were Rs 87.673 million while recoverable duty and taxes amount is Rs 737.431 million. Further investigations are underway.
