PESHAWAR: Collector Saeed Jadoon said that no effort will be spared to stamp down corrupt practices at Peshawar Dry Port. The clearance of machinery older than five years is banned and confiscation is mere treatment of it.
Collector Mohammad Saeed Jadoon endorsed the inquiry carried out by Customs Department against the scam of illegal clearance of consignments at Dry Port Peshawar.
It is worthy to mention here that National Accountability Bureau (NAB) arrested 3 Customs officers and started investigation against others including DC Athar Naveed who were allegedly involved in billions of rupees scam at Peshawar Dry Port. Customs Today obtained official NAB documents which revealed that these three customs officers including Shahid Akbar, Abdul Hadi and Hidayat Ullah in connivance with Athar Naveed, the then Deputy Collector at Peshawar Dry Port, cleared 701 illegal consignments from 2015 to 2017, causing billions of rupees losses to the exchequer.
The sources informed Customs Today that Collector Saeed Jadoon on Tuesday in a meeting with assistant collectors said that strict surveillance must be formulated to curb corruption. The collector Customs directed the high ups of the Peshawar Collectorate to serve with hard work in order to attain dignity. Collector Customs added that no effort will be spared to mend the ways of corrupt practices in Customs House Peshawar.
The collector also appreciated the modern tools in order to keep close check and balance upon the import and export agreements which make the Customs department to involve. The Customs Department has an important role in the economic up left of the country by increasing trade to facilitate importers by providing modern techs and tools. The international community has been transformed in to economic village and to become part of that customs department must have to be free of corruption and malpractices only than trade community of Pakistan could be trusted.
The collector customs also said that customs officials must educate the importers and traders about the modern requirements to carry out trade with international community which has become very much possible after entrance of China into the Pakistani market so the customs department role becomes even more important and crucial.
The Collector Customs also directed the officials to facilitate the importers at Torkham border while clearance of imports –exports by Web Base One Customs.
According to the NAB documents received by Customs Today, an interrogation process has been started at a high level to trace corruption in clearance of old and used cars which were imported under amnesty scheme.
Customs Today has been the first to disclose the fraud carried out at the Peshawar Dry Port from 2015 to 2017 where different appraisers cleared illegal consignments. The NAB arrested the accused persons on 15-08-2017, 19-09-2017 and 2-11-2017, hence the interim reference against all accused persons is being filed.
Customs Today already filed a lot of stories on corrupt practices of DC Athar Naveed when he was posted at Port Qasim in 2015 but no action was taken by Customs and FBR high ups against him. Finally the NAB has arrested these corrupt officials and started investigation against other accused including DC Athar Naveed.
DC Athar Naveed, being a senior officer at Peshawar Dry Port, did not perform his duties vigilantly, hence misused his authority and illegally cleared the consignments in violation of the applicable rules. Malik Aman, Mumraz Alhaaj Gul and others, being superintendents, allegedly helped clear the consignments in violation of the applicable rules. In connivance with each other, they illegally assessed and cleared 488 consignments and caused Rs 9,180.75 million losses to the national exchequer.
Muhammad Arafat at J/S Bank illegally extended the LC on 17-10-2016 and Customs agents Asif Ali and Muhammad Asim did not inform the customs authorities about illegal extension in the LC. They in connivance with other accused persons processed and cleared 55 and 23 consignments of Jameel Ahmad Jan.
