Missing containers: FBR given four weeks to determine who’s guilty

Federal Board of Revenue issues notices to officers involved in the scam.

ISLAMABAD: The Supreme Court has given the FBR four weeks to prepare the final report based on the inquiry committee’s investigation into the assets of officers allegedly involved in the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) containers’ scam and to initiate action against them.

Chairman Federal Bureau of Revenue (FBR) Salman Siddique said they would recover Rs10 to Rs70 billion after completing the investigation of the ISAF containers’ scam. “With the Afghan government’s cooperation we should be able to crosscheck the data within seven days.”

A three-member bench headed by Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry was hearing a suo motu case. Senator Mushahid Hussain Syed had appealed to the Chief Justice through a newspaper to take suo motu notice of the ISAF containers’ disappearance.

The FBR chief said that disciplinary action has been taken against officials involved in the smuggling. The charge-sheet was presented in the trial court on February 26 and further inquiry is underway.

Raja Muhammad Irshad, counsel for FBR, apprised the bench that they had served notices to all the officers who served between January 1, 2007, and December 24, 2010. They include members customs, FBR chairman, collectors, secretaries of trade and finance, directors-general of customs intelligence and directors-general (DGs) of the National Logistics Cell (NLC).

The Chief Justice observed that the apex court will not dispose off the case till the money is recovered.

“We cannot pass any order till the final report, but yes we appreciate your efforts so far,” he told the Chairman FBR.

Afnan Kundi, counsel for incumbent and ex-DGs NLC informed the court that disciplinary action will be taken against the employee, who refused to accept the court notices.

The case has been forwarded to the Military Intelligence. He assured the bench that court notices would not be rejected in future.

The court adjourned the hearing for four weeks to allow FBR to determine the culpability of the officials.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 1^st, 2011.