ISLAMABAD: The Directorate General, Customs Intelligence and Investigation, Federal Board of Revenue, has unearthed a big scam of duty and tax evasion of Rs1.61billion by the leading telecommunication company of Pakistan M/s PTCL in collusion with M/s Huawei International.
According to the sources, the directorate got a tip-off on the basis of which Directorate I&I Rawalpindi started investigation and found that M/s Pakistan Telecommunication Company, in connivance with their foreign exporter M/s Huawei International Pvt. LTD, Singapore, their local contractor M/s Technologies Pakistan Private Limited Islamabad, cleared the consignment of telecommunication equipment (LTE) with the active help of Clearing Agent M/s Eastern Freighter Services (CHAL No. 2442) 607, 6th Floor, Business Plaza, Mumtaz Hussain Road, Karachi. They neither made true declaration in the GDs and invoices nor did provide complete and correct particulars of the imported goods, software, at the time of clearance.
They imported Base Transceiver Stations and Distributed Base Stations classifiable under the PCT heading 8517. 6100 but misclassified the same with intent to evade duty payable thereon at higher rate 20% notwithstanding the fact that in term of Section 2 (r) of Pakistan Telecommunication (Re-organization) Act-1996, the imported Base Stations cannot be declared telecommunication equipment. Moreover, they knowingly concealed differential value of Rs. 3,336,638,695 and thereby involved in tax fraud and evaded customs duty and taxes to the tune of Rs. 1,612,593,037 in violation of Section 25 (1) (2), 32 (1) and (2) and 32A read with Sections 79 and 80 0f the Customs Act-1969, further read with Sections 148 of the Income Tax Ordinance-2001, punishable under Clause (14) and (14A) of Section 156 (1) of the Customs Act-969. The Directorate I&I Rawalpindi, preparing the contravention report on this issue, may forward the case for adjudication.
