KARACHI: An accountability court has sent five accused, including three Federal Board of Revenue officers to jail for 10 years in Rs24.68 million sales tax refund fraud case.
Abdul Razzak, a former chief executive officer of M/s RR Enterprises, M Bashir Bismil, an ex-auditor of the FBR, Mureed Abbas, an ex-audit officer, Nazeer Channa, the auditor, and Tila Mohammad, senior auditor, were booked in a reference filed by the National Accountability Bureau (NAB) in 2016.
The court also imposed a fine of Rs4,383,320 each to the extent of their liabilities. In case of default they would undergo an additional year of rigorous imprisonment each.
The judge of the accountability court-I also disqualified all the accused from being elected, chosen, appointed or nominated as a member or representative of any public body or any statutory or local authority or in service of the federal or provincial government for 10 years.
The federal anti-graft watchdog had alleged in the reference that R.R Enterprises was involved in the sales tax refund fraud through fake invoices to the tune of Rs24.68m during 2004-07.
It revealed that during 2004-07 Abdul Razzak claimed refunds through fake invoices and forged documents amounting to Rs24.68m and defrauded the national exchequer through tampering with and forging the proof of payment.
The prosecution alleged that the fraud was committed in connivance with the officials of the sales tax department, who were then posted in refund and other allied sections of the FBR in contravention of Section 73 of the Sales Tax Act, 1990 and Rule 36 of Sales Tax Rules 2006 and SRO 575(1) of 2002.
The judge wrote in the order that the prosecution had ably proved its case against the accused, who were found guilty of the offence of corruption and corrupt practices.
