ISLAMABAD: Dozens of seized vehicles have reportedly disappeared from Pakistan Customs’ State warehouse, Islamabad.
Sources said that more than 5 dozen smuggled and seized vehicles have disappeared from the customs state warehouse during the last two years.
This has been disclosed in an interim audit report prepared by Customs directorate Islamabad.
According to details, The customs department has poorly maintained the detention as well as seizure registers besides performance of the Investigation & Prosecution (1&P) wing of the Islamabad customs collectorate has also been found unsatisfactory in that certain basic information regarding current FIR cases registered, their follow-up and outcome has been found missing in record, sources added.
Interestingly, Collector Customs has immediately placed “off duty” the Superintendent Incharge of ASO, I&P and State Warehouse who had been posted a few months ago but the collector did not question those blue eyed officials including inspector customs who had been posted at customs warehouse for the last few years.
It is pertinent to note that Junaid Jalil, who served as collector Islamabad during this period, did not pay any heed to such matters due to which such events have become common occurrences in the collectorate of customs Islamabad.
It has been learned reliably that custom officers across the country have allegedly been involved in massive revenue losses. They have formed a tightly woven chain who allegedly collude with the importers and clearing agents.
This tightly woven chain of custom officers with the patronage of officials serving in collectorates allegedly entertains false and fabricated locally made invoices for imported goods. Moreover, this chain of collusive officers entertain vague and incomplete declarations of imported goods from importers and clearing agents thereby facilitating valuation and classification frauds and the resulting heavy revenue losses.
Sources said that customs high ups most of the time ignore these systematic fiscal frauds in field formations and the resulting revenue losses for a reason.
It has been reported that scores of customs scams have taken place but hardly any custom official has been ever punished.
Sources disclosed that this was a typical life cycle of revenue loss scams in FBR and the present scam of the disappearance of smuggled and seized vehicles from custom collectorate Islamabad was no exception.
Meanwhile, Collector Customs Islamabad Hasan Saqib claimed that the Audit of the Warehouse has not been completed and hopefully will be completed in the coming week So it would be pure conjecture to say if vehicles are missing or not.
He further stated that vehicles cannot go missing in Customs as once seized and Warehoused their particulars are documented at multiple stages and the Superintendent anti-smuggling, who also held the charge of Investigation & Prosecution, and Warehouse, has been placed off duty.
