The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Saturday held the FBR responsible for the delay in investigation against the Regional Tax Office (RTO), Karachi for the issuance fake sales tax refunds amounting to billions for the period of July 2013, it is learnt. In a letter sent to the FBR, which was exclusively available to Business Recorder, the FIA held the FBR responsible for the delay in investigation, saying that the FBR is using delaying tactics in providing records to the agency that put investigation pending for around two and half years.
The FIA in a letter corroborated to have registered inquiry in its Corporate Crime Circle on the allegations that a loss of billions of rupees had been caused to National exchequer through bogus/fake sales tax refunds issued to various fake companies, being run by a person ''A'' with the active connivance of officers of different RTOs of Karachi and organised mafia which is involved in preparation of fake invoices.
The letter said that FIA during the course of enquiry came to know that the office of the Commissioner Inland Revenue, IP & TFD, RTO, Karachi in the month of July 2013 had provided 23 sales tax refunds files in respect of six business units/companies of accused person ''A''. The scrutiny of said files revealed that ''the crossed cheques have been issued in the names'' of suppliers of the business units of person ''A'' from the business accounts of his companies and their bank statements available in the said sales tax refunds file did also correspond the debit entries for the dates on which the huge crossed cheques were shown to be issued to the suppliers.
Whereas, the cheques along with bank statements received from the concerned banks revealed that the cheques which have purportedly been shown to be issued in favour of suppliers have not actually been issued to the suppliers rather the said cheques containing the same amount, date and cheque number were issued in the favour of someone Hawala/Hundi, in favour of his other business units and in favour of his near ones.
The illegitimate act as discussed was done by the alleged persons in order to hoodwink the subsequent investigation in order to show that the compliance of section 73 of Sales Tax Act, 1990 has been made.
Meanwhile, sources said that these alleged persons had adopted two different modus operandi to accomplish their ill-desire, adding that the cheques received from RTO and received from banks are ditto but the name of beneficiary were changed. Keeping this in view, the FIA has again requested the RTO, Karachi to provide the attested copies of all refund claim files, refund cheques/payment order and red alerts issued in respect of following companies of alleged person on urgent basis, they maintained.
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