Key Takeaways
- Pakistan Customs registered an FIR against M/s Shareef Enterprises and its clearing agent, M/s Express Freight Links.
- The consignments were declared as scrap to evade customs duties and taxes worth Rs. 47.95 million.
- 897 new portable and window air conditioners, along with dehumidifiers and water dispensers, were found concealed.
Pakistan Customs (Enforcement) has registered a First Information Report (FIR) against M/s Shareef Enterprises and its clearing agent, M/s Express Freight Links, for allegedly misdeclaring imported consignments as scrap to evade customs duties and taxes. The total value of the alleged shortfall is Rs. 47.95 million.
According to the FIR, four consignments imported from the United States under the Export Facilitation Scheme (EFS) were declared as compressor scrap, iron and steel scrap, aluminium condenser scrap, and remeltable scrap, with a total declared value of Rs. 21.93 million. Customs blocked these consignments after clearance and conducted a physical examination at the Al-Hamd International Container Terminal (AICT) in Karachi.
The examination allegedly uncovered 897 new portable and window air conditioners, 113 dehumidifiers, and three used water dispensers, mostly of the Midea brand. These goods originated from Thailand and China and were concealed behind pallets of compressor scrap. Customs assessed the recovered goods at Rs. 63.39 million.
The importer is alleged to have colluded with the clearing agent and other unidentified facilitators to conceal commercial goods under the guise of scrap imported through the EFS, thereby evading government revenue. Authorities have invoked multiple provisions of the Customs Act, 1969, along with relevant sections of the Sales Tax Act, 1990, and the Income Tax Ordinance, 2001.
The seized goods have been taken into custody under Section 168 of the Customs Act. Efforts are underway to arrest the nominated suspects, and the investigation is continuing to identify additional facilitators, including any public officials who may have been involved. The post Importer Booked After Customs Finds Nearly 900 ACs Hidden in Scrap appeared first on ProPakistani.
Separately, the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has transferred Additional Collector Yawar Nawaz and Deputy Collector Aqsa Aslam over the alleged abuse of the Export Facilitation Scheme. According to sources, the department has finalized a charge sheet against these officials and shared it with senior Customs authorities.
