KARACHI: Sindh High Court will hear a number of petitions filed by an importer of scrap computers on October 23.
The SHC appellate bench to hear the petitions filed by the importer as his consignments were detained by Pakistan Customs Appraisement East for misusing transshipment facilities, mis-declaration and evasion of duties, taxes and other leviables worth billions of rupees.
The petitions were filed by Zeeshan Afzal of K.K.Metal Industries, Sialkot. The petitioner imported a consignment and declared it to be consisting of scrap computers, telephones and other unusable electrical items from which different metals are to retrieved, salvaged, extricated and recycled for re-export. The entire work to be done at processing unit of the petitioner located at Export Processing Zone, Sialkot after the goods were cleared from port at Karachi and trans-shipped to Sialkot EPZ.
The Customs authorities, however, on suspicion conducted an examination jointly by DIT and MCC Appraisement East in which 14,400 satellite dish receivers, mobile phones and other electronic items were found. Besides beer, wine and CLI telephones were also found stuffed.
According to the initial evaluation it was found that importer/petitioner has evaded duty and taxes worth Rs84,603,157.
Further investigations lead to the detection of several cases of identical nature in which misuse of transshipment facility, misdeclaration and evasion of custom duty and taxes were established. The FIRs were registered and the goods were confiscated with option of redemption to the importer/petitioner.
Khalid Rajpar advocate representing MCC East on previous hearing firmly opposed the interim relief prayer and informed the bench of modus operandi of the petitioner causing loss of billions of rupees in duty, taxes etc .
