ISLAMABAD: Directorate General Customs Intelligence and Investigation (I&I) has unearthed a massive scam of tax evasion worth Rs200 million through mis-declaration and money laundering in imports of poultry vaccines, medicines, nutrients, premixes by M/s Marush International, K-123 Model Town.
Addressing a press conference, Director General Customs Intelligence and investigation Shaukat Ali said that Customs Intelligence received information through reliable sources that the importer namely Usman Ali Shah and his father Dr. Muzamil Ali Shah owner of M/s Marush International engaged in the imports of poultry vaccines, medicines, nutrients and causing colossal loss of customs duty and taxes by massive mis-declaration of value by suppressing the actual transactional value of the imported goods by way of submission of fake import invoices and other documents before Customs for clandestine clearances.
He told that M/s Marush illegally imported the poultry medicines and vaccines by presenting fake and irrelevant provisional authorizations of the Drug Regulatory Authority. He said the import record of the firm relating to years 2011 to 2017 was retrieved from PRAL.
Director General Shaukat Ali told media persons said that it was revealed the firm has been mis declaring actual value of the imported goods at a massive scale since years. It was further revealed that Customs clearance of all import consignments was made through M/s Aun Associates, Clearing Agency, Karachi, which is the office of the importer himself.
Initially, 11 Goods Declarations (GDs) were scrutinized which revealed that actual values were much higher than the values declared in the GDs and inflicted loss of duty and taxes comes around Rs34.5 million. The scrutiny of rest of the import record is still underway which is likely to unearth further fraudulent evasion of duty and taxes.
Director Headquarter Nasar Ullah Wazir, Additional Director Abdul Waheed Marwat, Deputy Director (HQ) Khaldun Ul Haq, SA to DG Dr. Kuakab Farooq and the deputy director of Customs I&I and the investigation officer of the case, Ali Zeb were also present during the press briefing.
First Information Report (FIR ) under section 16 and 32-A (1) and (2) of the Customs Act, 1969 punishable under clauses (14A) and (90) of sub section (1) of section 156 of the Customs Act, 1969 has been registered against them for committing the offence s of fiscal fraud, forgery , under invoicing, tax evasion and money laundering.