Daily Times

RAWALPINDI: The Anti Corruption (AC) department has started a probe into the scam of illegal registration of reconditioned non custom paid vehicles at the Excise and Taxation office Rawalpindi under the amnesty scheme.

Ghulam Mustafa Khan, General Secretary Muttahida Transport Federation Rawalpindi-Islamabad (MTFRI), had pleaded in the application filed by him with the director anti corruption that non customs paid 3 Vitz cars, one corolla car and 1 Toyota Hiace were registered at the motor registering branch of the excise office and these vehicles were registered without any verbal or written verification from the customs authorities and against the rules and regulations.

According to the excise and taxation laws a written verification about customs clearance is obtained from the customs authorities ahead of registration of the amnesty scheme related vehicles.

Then the motor registering branch carries out a counter check with regard to customs clearance of any vehicle from the customs authorities via telephone.

Instead of following this procedure, RIA 538 number was allotted to Toyota Vitz car against the payment of fee amounting to Rs 30356 under challan No 992496 on July 23 last year.

On August 6, 2015, No RIS 1735 was allotted to a Toyota Hiace van against payment of Rs 20456 under challan No 1016327 and on September 8, 2015 No RIA 777 was allotted to Toyota Vitz against payment of Rs 40420 under challan No 1021440.

Likewise No RIA 848 was allotted to Toyota Vitz on September 8, 2015 against payment of Rs 33123 under challan No 1045255, In another case No RIA 682 was allotted to a Toyota Corolla car against payment of Rs 69217 under challan No 1047268 on September 10, 2015.

The Registration book of RIA-777 was issued to Toyota Vitz in the name of Abdul Salam. This vehicle remained under the use of excise inspector Salim Butt for several months and it remained parked inside the excise office.

This vehicle was removed from the scene and its registration was cancelled after the matter of its registration being against the rules registration was exposed. The registration of other vehicles was stopped before their issuance.

A bribe ranging between Rs 400000 to 600000 was grabbed for the registration of these vehicles falling under the amnesty scheme and these were registered without customs clearance.

Ghulam Mustafa Khan told Daily Times that Additional Director Complaints, Muhammad Attique, called him and obtained a verification statement from him for further proceeding in his application. He not only seconded his statement but also explained the entire situation verbally and provided written evidence to him.