KARACHI: The Special Court of Customs Taxation and Anti-Smuggling has confirmed the interim bails granted to six employees of the TCS who were booked for their alleged involvement in smuggling of electronic gadgets.
Judge Syed Faiz Rasool Rashdi pronounced the verdict after hearing arguments from prosecution and defence sides.
According to the prosecution, the customs authorities recovered a huge quantity of electronic gadgets, including costly mobile phones, watches, memory cards and USBs worth Rs 20 million from a TCS van on February 16. It was alleged that these gadgets were illegally smuggled into the country without payment of duties and taxes estimated at Rs 4.7 million.
Subsequently, an FIR was registered against Syed Wasif Iqbal, Adnan Younis, Dilawar Abbas, John Kashif and two other employees of the TCS. Advocate Muhammad Masood Khan and Muneer Ahmed, who represented the applicants, submitted that the TCS employees were not involved in the smuggling of gadgets as they are employees of the courier company and transporting the consignment on behalf of shippers in their official capacity. The courier company is not bound to produce import documents, Khan argued.
Moreover, he said, no case of smuggling is made out against his clients as seized goods are not contraband. During investigation, the employees have provided the investigation officer the details of the consignees but he is not going after them, he added.
He, therefore, requested the Court to confirm bails of TCS employees as they are entitled for such concession.
Opposing the bail confirmation pleas, the customs prosecutor Ashique Ali Rana said the TCS employees were involved in the smuggling as the goods were recovered from their possession. He added the TCS employees were evasive as they only disclosed name of consignees and their cities. With this information, they could not be reached.
