TORKHAM: Collectorate of Customs Preventive have registered FIR against the staff of terminal operator NLC, customs clearing agents and others subsequent to Customs I&I Peshawar lodged FIR against 197 out of 355 people and vehicles cleared via international Pak-Afghan border carrying import without paying duty taxes.
According to copy of FIR No.10/2020 available with Customs Today a complainant Dehmash Tahir Muhammad Customs Inspector (Preventive) Customs station Torkham mentioned date and time of occurrence as months of October, November, December 2019 and January 2020.
It is mentioning names and address of the accused in the FIR as 1) Staff of terminal operator NLC (national logistic corporation) Customs station Torkham 2) Customs clearing agents 3) Drivers of the vehicles 4) Importers of goods 5) Staff of MCC Enforcement and Compliance Peshawar posted at gate in and gate out of import at customs station Torkham 6) Staff of MCC Appraisement and Facilitation Peshawar posted at weighbridge, scanning and Yard area of imports at station Torkham.
The brief facts of the case are mentioned that it is reported that as per office order 22-01-2020 regarding constitution of facts finding inquiry to check the consignments which reportedly escaped through Customs station Torkham, the TOR of the committee are detailed at para-3 of the said office order, the Assistant Collector Preventive Central Sajid Khan along with M Ali Asif Assistant Collector scrutinized the record of the customs station Torkham, the methodology adapted is as under.
NLC requested to provide data of weighbridge and scanning of import which was provided in soft format via email 2) PRAL was requested to provide data of GDs in WeBOC which was provided in soft format 3) Entry pass record of import was digitized and entered in Excel 4) PRAL was requested to provide Transit data which was provided in soft format.
It also declare in FIR that reconciliation of data of weighbridge and entry pass record with GD record of WeBOC and Transit data was conducted, the above steps required detail scrutiny and re-checking of data entries as well as rechecking of GD record in WeBOC, 231 numbers of vehicles were found in entry pass/weighbridge but no corresponding GD has so for been traceable in WeBOC for the month of October 2019.
The above exercise is still being conducted for November , December, 2019 and January 2020, lateron same exercise will be extended to January, 2019 to September 2019, the finding of all further investigation for the month of October 2019 will be made part of the case.
The record of (231) numbers of vehicles stated above will also be further scrutinized during the course of investigation the result of October 2019 warrants action against the culprits to hold them accountable.
By concluding details of FIR it mentioned that since the above named the accused have caused huge loss to revenue of the state through flying import abetting and conniving in fraud therefore murasila is sent for lodging FIR against the above named accused and copy thereof may kindly be provided.
It is important to mention here that the Customs I&I (Intelligence and Investigation) Peshawar has lodged an FIR against numbers of 197 vehicles along with drivers and owners of the vehicles as well as staff of MCC Appraisement, MCC Preventive Peshawar, Customs agents and importers for clearing goods imported from Afghanistan without filing of Goods Declaration (GD) and without payment of duty and taxes.
In the back drop of the case FIR Nos. 57 of 2019, 64 of 2019 and 02 of 2020 regarding import of fresh fruits without filing of Goods Declaration and Payment of leviable duty and taxes, an inquiry team was constituted to scrutinize record for the period September 2019 to November 2019.
