KARACHI: A meeting was held at the conference room of the MCC-Appraisement-West to discuss import of solar panels on a fake letter purportedly written by Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB).
The meeting was chaired by Additional Collector ADC Muhammad Irfan Wahid while the importer’s representative, clearing agent, investigation officer (IO) Shair Khan and others attended the meeting.
In the meeting, it was decided that the Pakistan Customs would ask the AEDB officials to join the investigation under Section 166 of Customs Act, 1966 .
The sources informed Customs Today that the investigating authorities of Customs under Section 166 of Customs Act, 1966 have the authority to involve AEDB’s officials into investigation.
The sources hinted that the involvement of AEDB’s officials could not be ruled out into the issuance of fake letter in import of solar panels by the importer M/s Right Way Trading Company.
“The intelligence authorities of Customs would also investigate the said matter by Suresh, Assistant Director in Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) and care taker Director AEDB-Ministry of Power Imtiaz Hussain”, sources added.
Responding to a query, the sources disclosed that the clearing agent M/s Rimpax tampered the AEDB letter with the assistance of others and handed over to the importer M/s Right Way Trading Company for importation of solar panels.
The AIB authorities of MCC-Appraisement (West) during the scrutiny of the consignment found that the importer has used fake letter of AEDB in import of solar panels.
Afterwards, the AIB authorities put hold on the consignment and started investigation and after registering the FIR against the importer M/s Right way Trading Company forwarded the case into the Customs court.
The Customs court into the hearing of the case ordered the AIB authorities to investigate the case thoroughly and also contacted to the authorities concerned of AEDB of the Ministry of Power into the said matter.
Later on, the AIB team comprised of Shair Khan and Anwar Zaib while following the directives of their high-ups were visited the office of Alternative Energy Development Board (AEDB) last week and investigate the matter thoroughly.
In the recent hearing in Customs court on April-27, the AIB authorities concerned put forward their finding before the court on which the Customs Court extended the date of case till 6-May-2015.
