Daily Times

KARACHI: Business community urged the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) not to harass the businessmen by sending them notices on the name of investigation about properties in Dubai or any other state.

Karachi Chamber of Commerce and Industry (KCCI) President Junaid Esmail Makda expressed deep concern over the harassment of businessmen by the FIA. He urged the FIA to refrain from such actions. He further demanded that the FIA share details of the accused individuals to KCCI before summoning them or issuing notices to them. “This way, the integrity of those businessmen who previously declared their assets under the Amnesty scheme or have justifiable reasons for owning property oversees can be preserved,” he stated in a letter he wrote to the FIA Director General Bashir Ahmed Memon.

In the letter, KCCI president urged the FIA to share details of the suspects so such cases could be thoroughly reviewed before being undertaken by the FIA. Makda mentioned in his letter that if the businessmen were found guilty, KCCI would not interfere in FIA’s investigation process.

President KCCI pointed out that it had been brought to KCCI’s notice that many individuals had been receiving FIA notices in which Suo Moto CP. No. 02/2018 and U/S 5(2) of FIA Act 1974 were cited. He wrote that recipients of such notices were being summoned to the FIA office and were being constantly harassed on charges of owning property in Dubai or elsewhere.

He further mentioned that it was a matter of grave concern that a confidential list of such individuals had been leaked on social media platforms. He wrote that this created embarrassing situations for those businessmen who had already declared their oversees assets under the Amnesty Scheme announced in 2017-18. He reiterated that such actions were completely unacceptable since they went against the policy laid out in the Amnesty Scheme.

KCCI President Junaid Makda hoped that FIA would refrain from issuing such notices and consult with KCCI prior to initiating any legal action against anyone accused of owning properties abroad. He asserted that such actions discouraged many individuals from becoming a part of the tax net. He further wrote that in addition to triggering a trust deficit in the businessmen community, steps being taken by the FIA were keeping individuals from the tax net despite the government’s steps to expand the tax net. He further wrote that even if the government offered an attractive amnesty scheme in the future, individuals would still choose to not avail it if such practices continued.

Published in Daily Times, October 4^th 2018.