KARACHI: The Pakistan Customs and a private airline company, Shaheen Air International, are appearing in court over Rs 4.145 billion tax evasion case on Wednesday.
As per details, the Shaheen Air International has moved the Sindh High Court (SHC) against the charges leveled by the Pakistan Customs in which it stated that the airline has imported 47 aircraft without lease agreement and dismantled 12 out of the total 47 aircraft in its shed without prior permission.
The hearing of the case was fixed on September 24 at Sindh High Court (SHC) where both the applicant and respondent have to appear.
Pakistan Customs Services Assistant Collector Amjad Hussain Rajpar will represent Pakistan Customs in the court, while a legal representative of Shaheen Air International would also be there to defend the company.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Model Customs Collectorate (Preventive) had made a contravention report against Shaheen Air in its alleged involvement in import of 47 aircraft against lease agreement and dismantling, removing and scrapping of 12 aircrafts in its shed without prior permission of Pakistan Customs authorities.
Subsequently, the Collectorate of Customs Adjudication-I had issued show-cause notice to Shaheen Air to present its view point before the authorities concerned on August 26.
The case is already in the Collectorate of Customs Adjudication, that the Collectorate of Customs Adjudication-I had dispatched show-cause notices (SCNs) to all parties including Ehsan Ali Sehbai, Chairman Shaheen Air, Syed Yousaf (Chief/Director Procurement & Logistics), Faisal Rafiq, DMD (Airlines Operations), S M Anwar, Director Legal Services, Abriaz Ali Khan, Assistant Legal Advisor of Shaheen Air International Limited and scrap dealers Altaf and Basharat in case of huge tax evasion of Rs 4.145 billion by importing 47 aircraft against different lease agreement (LA) and dismantling, removing and scrapping of 12 aircrafts out of the said 47 aircraft.
On the other hand, the Shaheen Air was of the view that the sales tax was not implemented on the import of aircraft on lease as the aircrafts were not being purchased, but imported on lease agreements.
