Tax fraud: 13 men remanded in judicial custody

FIA officials say the men had used forged documents to get amnesty on non-custom paid vehicles.

FAISALABAD:

Fifteen men arrested on Sunday night by a Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) team for impersonation, making forged documents and taking bribes to illegally avail the amnesty scheme on non-custom paid vehicles, were remanded in judicial custody on Monday. Two of them were later released due to lack of evidence against them, but will be part of the investigation, FIA officials said.

Customs officials have, however, condemned the raid and called it an attempt to sabotage the amnesty scheme.

FIA Deputy Director Muhammad Sohail Awan told The Express Tribune that the Customs Collector’s House at the Faisalabad Dry Port was raided on Sunday night, from where 15 men, including a customs intelligence wing constable and a clerk, were arrested.

He said the raiding team also seized 350 files of forged registration papers and clearance forms that were to be used to avail the amnesty on regularisation of smuggled and non custom paid vehicles on payments of custom duties.

Awan said the FIA was told that Mushtaq Sargana, a constable with the Customs Intelligence Wing, had impersonated as a customs collector. He allegedly took bribe for preparation and clearance of fake documents for the applicants to apply for concession on customs duty. He used original Customs Department letter pads and stamps to forward the applications. Awan said a clerk, Nisar Ahmad, helped him. He said Sargana and Ahmad were let go on court orders due to lack of evidence against them. However, he said, they will be questioned during the investigation.

Another man, identified as Khair Din Khan from North Waziristan, was arrested. FIA officials said they recovered 100 files from him that also contained customs clearance forms for smuggled vehicles. He said 12 more men, including applicants with forged documents, were also arrested.

He said Monday was the last day to apply for concession under the amnesty scheme. At the time of the raid at the Custom House, he said, several dozen applicants were queued up to obtain clearance forms. On seeing the FIA officials, he said, most of the applicants with fake documents fled.

Talking to The Express Tribune Deputy Collector Umar Chattha said that the FIA raid may have cost the government more than Rs1 billion.

“The investors are very sensitive …such an uncalled for action by the FIA amounts to sabotaging an amnesty scheme.”

He said there was no point to raid since the imported vehicles were already in the Customs Department custody.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 2^nd, 2013.