ISLAMABAD: Federal board of Revenue (FBR) has increased the limit of punishment and the penalty in the crime related to transshipment. A new law has been introduced in this regard and FBR high ups hoped that after this initiative transshipment related crime percentage will be reduced.
Sources told that customs authorities received complaints that facility of transshipment was misused badly. After changes in the law, Member Customs Zahid Khokhar has directed to all related staff to keep eyes open regarding transshipment facility and do not take illegal benefits and without discrimination ,strict checking system should apply in this regard.
Sources told that if any goods which are loaded for transshipment, are pilfered, replaced en-route or failed to reach the port of destination, or any person transships goods not allowed to be transshipped, such goods and the conveyance illegally carrying these goods shall be liable to confiscation and any person including the custodian and the bonded carrier shall face penalty not exceeding ten times the value of the goods and he shall further be liable, upon conviction by a special judge, to imprisonment for a term not exceeding seven years.
The law further explained that if any person contravenes any rule relating to transshipment other than mentioned in above clause, such person including the custodian and the inland carrier shall be liable to penalty not exceeding five hundred thousand rupees or three times the amount of duties and taxes involved.