Directorate of Customs Intelligence restructured

KARACHI:

The Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation has been restructured, following which the powers and scope of work of the organisation and its officers have been expanded.

Following approval from the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairman on Friday, the reorganisation of the directorate was notified to all stakeholders. As per the notification, new powers have been assigned to the director general of customs intelligence and its senior officers, who will report to the Member of FBR for Operations Customs. The Customs Intelligence Headquarters will remain in Islamabad, while its regional headquarters will operate in Karachi, Peshawar, Lahore, and Quetta.

According to the notification, the powers of targeted operations against smuggling have also been handed over to Customs Intelligence, subject to prior permission from the Member Customs Operations of FBR. The heads of the Regional Directorates of Customs Intelligence will be officers of the customs group in grade 20. The directorate will have the authority to collect intelligence information related to duty and tax evasion in import and export, while Customs Intelligence officers will also be able to exercise powers under the Anti-Money Laundering Act.

The notification states that Customs Intelligence will also have powers to deal with tax fraud. Similarly, Customs Intelligence officials will be able to seek assistance from the respective Customs Collectorates for operations. DG Customs Intelligence, directors, additional directors, deputy directors, assistant directors, and intelligence officers have been assigned new powers. Furthermore, Customs Intelligence has been granted powers to operate within the maritime boundaries of Pakistan.