Daily Times

KARACHI: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has expended its investigation in a case against a custom official, Asif Marghoob Siddiqi, in BPS-20, who has served as Collector Adjudication, for making assets beyond the income.

The team working on the investigation has obtained identity information of Siddiqui’s relatives from the National Database and Registration Authority (NADRA) and is now getting their bank account details including daily transections, current balance and assets to further probe the charges.

A reliable source in the FIA has told Daily Times that permission for proceedings to conduct the inquiry has been granted by the FIA director general Basheer Memon.

FIA Anti-corruption and Crime Circle (ACC) Assistant Director Ali Murad Baladi, who is serving as the current in chagre of Assets Branch, is supervising the inquiry.

Along with Ali Murad Baladi, Assistant Director Khanzada, who came in FIA on deputation from Customs, is assisting in the inquiry.

The source further revealed that FIA officials of ACC have sent their written findings to Islamabad headquarter for the approval after they received a source report against Asif Marghoob that he as the Collector Adjudication was involved in malpractice and in controversial decisions.

According to the FIA source, the report against Asif Marghoob was prepared when his suspicious roll surfaced after a recovery in mega tax evasion scam was made by FIA in November 2017. The scam was about fraudulent re-export of surveying equipments of M/s BGP (Pakistan) International, on the strength of bogus/forged documents, without paying leviable duties/taxes.

The consignment was scheduled for shipment to China on October 3, 2017, through the Custom Clearing Agent M/s International Moving and Trading Company (IMT Co). It was intercepted by the FIA on October 2.

After lodging of an FIR, the Country Manager Zhang Zhongmin and Deputy Country Manager Li Chonghong of M/s BGP Pakistan International were arrested on November 23. During the remand period, M/s BGP Pakistan International, through their Finance Controller, agreed to pay the evaded revenue against 125 Corporate Guarantees.

According to an FIA officer, Asif Marghoob got some benefits from this Chinese company to give the administration extra relief.

M/s BPG (Pakistan) Ltd got Custom Clearance for shipment of surveying equipments without leviable duties and taxes by misusing provision of an SRO, in connivance with their Clearing Agent M/s IMT Co. Examination. Available documents reveal that custom authorities had cleared the goods on the basis of bogus Corporate Guarantees. The goods meant for re-export through were earlier imported in the years 2014 and 2015.

However, timely action by the FIA team led custom authorities to start contravention proceedings against M/s BGP (Pakistan) International & M/s IMT Co (Clearing Agent), on charges of evasion of leviable duties and taxes.

M/s BGP (Pakistan) International is working in Pakistan since 1995 and is engaged in business with numerous oil and gas producing companies.

M/s BGP (Pakistan) International has imported hundreds of consignments of surveying equipment under provision of SRO-678(I) 2004 but the company didn’t comply with terms and regulations of SRO-678(I)2004.

Temporary imports are immune to levied duties and taxes subject to provision of a corporate guarantee for each consignment, whereby importing company indemnifies that imported goods will be re-exported within two years (now five years) or completion of project, whichever is earlier. However, M/s BGP (Pakistan) did not re-export any temporarily imported consignment of surveying equipments.

M/s BGP (Pakistan) International fraudulently tried to re-export its surveying equipments imported in the years 2014 and 2015, on the strength of bogus corporate guarantees. The consignment was detained and adjudication proceedings are underway at customs, while the FIA is looking after criminal aspect of the case.

The total recovery made from M/s BGP Pakistan International in the case stands at Rs.750 million.

Published in Daily Times, March 14^th 2018.