KARACHI: The Sindh High Court (SHC) has confirmed the interim bails granted to three officers of the Pakistan Customs in Rs 35 billion gold smuggling scam.
A division bench, headed by Justice Sajjad Ali Shah, confirmed the bails. Three customs officers, includes Akmal Aziz, Muhammad Ibrahim and Zahid Arain, were granted interim bails with surety bonds of Rs 1 million each. Advocate Wazeer Ahmed Khoso, who represented the applicants, refuted the allegations of his clients’ involvement in the scam, saying they had nothing to do with the export of the gold nor they were beneficiary of the scam.
He said the officials of Trade Development Authority of Pakistan were responsible for authorizing the gold traders who exported the jewellery on fake customs documents. He pleaded with the court to confirm the bail granted to his clients.
According to the prosecution, the FIA Corporate Crime Circle had registered an FIR under Section 156(1)(8), 32/32-A punishable under Section 156(1)(14) of Customs Act 1969.
An inquiry conducted by FIA established that accused Muhammad Shakeel, the deputy director of the Trade Development Authority of Pakistan, Karachi, registered the firms M/S Rayyan Collection, M/S Atta Casting, M/S Ather Jewellers and M/S Al Huda Bangles as exporters under Section 3 of the SRO 266(1)2001 dated May 7, 2001, to export gold, silver and platinum jewellery and precious stones without fulfilling legal requirements of the licenses. The alleged gold traders exported 23 karat gold jewellery worth Rs 35 billion to the UAE during the period between 2011 and 2012 on fake bank documents as no foreign proceeds returned to the country as an outcome of the gold export.
