KARACHI: Regional Directorate of Customs Intelligence & Investigation (I&I) has registered a First Information Report (FIR) against M/s Bahawalpur Steel Mills and other 11 importers for money laundering and evading duties and taxes by claiming false exemptions.
Sources told Customs Today that Director Customs I&I Karachi Engineer Habib Ahmed received credible information that some importers were wrongly claiming the exemption of duties and taxes under Chapter 99 of the Pakistan Customs Tariff (PCT), which is meant for goods imported for charitable purposes or under special arrangements.
He immediately directed Additional Director Afzaal Wattoo to thoroughly investigate the matter. The Directorate detected 20 Goods Declarations (GDs) filed by 12 importers in which the exemption of Chapter 99 was availed and the EIF was not submitted to Customs for clearance of the goods. The Customs Act, 1969, and committed mis-declaration under Section 32 of the same Act.
The Directorate served notices to the importers on February 6, 2024 asking them to furnish information about the legal channel through which they had remitted the foreign exchange to the shippers abroad. However, none of the importers responded to the notices, implying that they had transferred USD 336,737 to their foreign shippers via illegal channels.
The Directorate has reasons to believe that the 12 importers, with the support of their accomplices, are involved in the offence of money laundering under Sections 3 and 4 of the Anti-Money Laundering Act, 2010, and has started legal proceedings against them.
