KARACHI: The M/s Water Link has submitted 18-page interim written reply in the Collectorate of Customs Adjudication on Friday (August 29).
The sources informed Customs Today that the M/s Water Link in its written reply adopted a view point that the NATO/ISAF containers at the retrograde route of Afghan Transit Trade had been stolen on the way and rivets had been dismantled before reaching at the yard of the M/s Water Link located near Port Qasim area.
In the interim written reply, the M/s Water Link further prayed to the authorities concerned of the Collectorate of Customs Adjudication to free its officers and employees from the charges leveled against them.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Collectorate of Customs Adjudication-I had issued final hearing notice on 22 August to M/s Water Link for presenting its view point before or on 25 August in front of the competent authorities of Pakistan Customs-FBR in smuggling case of NATO/ISAF retrograde containers.
It may be mentioned here that the Collectorate of Customs Adjudication-I had issued show-cause notice to the accused involved in the case in February 2013 after the MCC-Preventive registered an FIR against the accused persons. However; the representative of M/s Water Link requested for the adjournment of hearing 5 times during the entire period after issuance of show cause by the Collectorate of Adjudication-I on the grounds that the Managing Director (MD) of M/s Water Link Capt (retd) Ghulam Mustafa was suffering from cancer disease.
It is pertinent to mention here that the show cause notices have been issued against the management of M/s Water Link including its Managing Director Capt (retd) Ghulam Mustafa, Manager Rizwan Yousuf, Assistant Manager Muhammad Rizwan Ishaq, Supervisor Qaiser Ali and office boy Muhammad Rafiq Shahzad besides M/s Tracon Services, M/s Ehsanuddin & Company and Satrah Khan, driver.
It may be mentioned here that the Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASO) of MCC-Preventive detected the case, last year in which six above-mentioned persons were allegedly involved in stealing NATO/ISAF containers at a yard of M/s Water Link on Dec 7 at Port Qasim.
The sources further informed this scribe that the M/s Water Link has submitted its interim reply before expiry date of the case, as the entire duration of any case is consisted of 210 days which will end on August 30. After that the case is referred to FBR for further action.
