Unearthing fraud: Show-cause notices issued to 15 companies over tax evasion

PHC chief justice cancels bail notice of accused customs clearing agent.

PESHAWAR: The Peshawar High Court (PHC) on Monday issued show-cause notices to 15 steel exporting companies accused of evading taxes worth Rs513 billion.

A single-member bench comprising PHC Chief Justice Dost Muhammad Khan took suo motu notice of bail being issued to the accused parties and ordered cancellation of the bail notices.

Petitioner Haji Ahmad’s lawyer Advocate Noor Alam told the court his client, a customs clearing agent, had been accused of giving clearance to 15 companies, allowing them to supply steel products to Afghanistan.



Alam Advocate added the steel products were only exported to Afghanistan on paper and the products were actually sold in Pakistan in order to evade taxes. “The real culprit has been granted bail by a lower court, while my client has been accused of the whole incident which is not based on facts,” he argued.

The court then postponed Haji’s bail and issued show-cause notices to the co-accused to appear before the court in the next hearing.

The companies include MS Supreme Tube Industry, MS Shaheen Pipe Industry, Modern Pipe Industry, Cabal Industry Faisalabad, Rewaj Steel Industry, Mehran Traders, Bashir Steel Industry, Ambareen Steel Industry and Noman Steel Industry.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 17^th, 2013.