KARACHI: Collector of the Collectorate of Customs Adjudication-I Dr Farid Iqbal Qureshi is going to conduct hearing of some high profile cases today.
The cases include M/s Q-Mobile tax evasion, M/s PTCL tax evasion and six smuggled trucks of fabric. According to details, the M/s Q-Mobile tax evasion case was detected by the Collectorate of Customs MCC-Multan in which it observed that the M/s Digicom (Pvt) Limited and M/s New Allied Electronics (Pvt) Limited, the authorized dealers of Q-Mobile (foreign cellular company) were allegedly involved in importing around 2.4million cellular phones, amounting unpaid duty/taxes of Rs772 million.
The departmental representative of Q-Mobile i.e. Afzal Ahmed Bhatti has submitted written reply in tax evasion case tune to Rs772million on import of cellular phones of different models without paying additional Sales Tax and Customs Duty (CD).
Upon that the authorities concerned of Customs Adjudication-I has fixed the next hearing date i.e. November, 13 into the case of tax evasion.
It may be mentioned that the Collectorate of Customs Adjudication-I has previously fixed the hearing dates of September,22; October, 13 and October, 27 in the said tax evasion case in which the owner of New Allied Electronic Limited, Mian Pervez and Director (Operations) Sarfarazuddin had appeared before the authorities concerned of Customs Adjudication-I.
It is pertinent to mention here that the Collectorate of Customs Adjudication-I has served show-cause notices to M/s New Allied Electronic and M/s Digicom Pvt (Limited), the authorized dealers of Q-Mobile in the month of September, 2014 in the pretext of its involvement in tax evasion tune to Rs772 million in terms of additional Sales Tax and Customs Duty.
In the tax evasion case links with the M/s PTCL, the MCC-Appraisement (West) has unearthed massive mis-declaration by Pakistan Telecommunication of Pakistan Limited (PTCL) on clearance of telecommunication equipments which causing huge financial loss to the national exchequer.
It may be mentioned here that the two Order-in Original (ONOs), one from the Collectorate of Customs Adjudication-I and other from the Collectorate of Customs Adjudication-II have already been issued against M/s PTCL in which, the authorities concerned have reached at the conclusion that the importer M/s PTCL and its authorized dealer M/s Huawei Technologies were involved in tax evasion tune billions of rupees.
In the third case, constituted by the Directorate General of Customs Intelligence and Investigation-FBR Karachi stated that the importers were attempted to import contraband siphon fabric from India, Korea and China through Afghan Transit Trade.
The Collectorate of Customs Adjudication-I has served the show-cause notice on October, 30 to the fabric importers, whose consignments were seized by the Anti-Smuggling Organization (ASO) of the Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation-FBR, Karachi Region during a raid at Allahwala Market near Lucknow Plaza at 6 September-2014. The Directorate of Customs I&I has made the seizure report at the end of the September-2014 and sent it to the adjudication authorities, where the authorities sent the show-cause notice against the alleged parties at the end of the October-2014.
It is pertinent to mention here that the DIT has seized six trucks having around Rs 40 million worth smuggled imported fabric from India, Korea and China.