LAHORE: The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has cleared a Pakistan Customs inspector posted in Lahore in a corruption-related disciplinary case, converting a previously recommended major penalty into a minor punishment after departmental review.
The action was taken under the Government Servants (Efficiency & Discipline) Rules, 2020, in the case of Umar Mahboob, Inspector Customs (BS-16), posted at the Collectorate of Customs Appraisement-West, Lahore.
According to official proceedings, disciplinary action was initiated against the officer on charges of inefficiency, misconduct and alleged corruption. He was suspended on May 8, 2025, pending inquiry.
An inquiry officer initially found charges of inefficiency and misconduct established and recommended a major penalty, including reduction to a lower post and a lower pay scale for three years.
A show-cause notice was issued on July 10, 2025, followed by the officer’s written reply on August 16, in which he denied all allegations and requested a personal hearing, which was held on September 12, 2025.
Subsequently, a de novo inquiry was ordered on October 8, 2025, to re-examine key aspects of the case. The second inquiry report, submitted on January 6, 2026, reiterated earlier findings and again recommended a major penalty.
A further show-cause notice was issued on January 19, 2026, and another hearing was conducted on April 16, 2026.
After reviewing both inquiry reports and the case record, the competent authority noted that although the goods declaration was not properly examined or marked through the system, the officer had been verbally directed by a supervising officer to oversee the examination under Section 79 of the Customs Act, 1969.
The department also observed that CCTV footage confirmed the officer’s presence near the blocked container to prevent pilferage.
It further found that allegations of tampering or alteration of imported goods were not substantiated at any stage of the proceedings.
However, inefficiency was established to the extent that the officer failed to ensure proper supervision during the initial examination process, which led to a duty and tax discrepancy of Rs2.5 million. The amount was later recovered after re-examination.
In view of these findings, the FBR, through its Member (Administration/HR), ruled that the recommended major penalty was excessive and instead imposed a minor penalty of withholding increments for three years without cumulative effect.
The officer has been reinstated into service with immediate effect, and his suspension period from May 8, 2025, will be treated as leave in accordance with applicable rules.
Additionally, his performance allowance has been suspended for six months, after which restoration will be subject to re-qualification under FBR policy.
The officer retains the right to appeal before the competent appellate authority within 30 days.
