KARACHI: Anti-Corruption Circle (ACC) of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) Karachi has nominated three high-ranking customs officials over the charge of running a sprawling bribery and smuggling network.
The action was taken on the shocking facts revealed by two customs officials detained from Karachi airport with millions of rupees on July 13, 2023.
According to an FIR, the ACC team of FIA conducted a raid at Jinnah International Airport on the information of its sub-inspector, resulting in the arrest of two customs officials, who were attempting to board a flight to Islamabad on July 13, 2023.
The subsequent search of their official vehicle, a Toyota Vigo with registration number GPA-297, parked at the Jinnah International Airport, yielded a shocking discovery.
The raiding team found and seized a staggering amount of cash and foreign currencies, including Pakistani Rupees (PKR) 5,437,200, US Dollars 2,406, and UAE Dirham 6,100.
FIR further stated that both customs officials confessed that the seized amount represented ‘speed money’ collected from customs check posts in Karachi’s Keamari district. They admitted their intention to distribute the funds among various customs officials, including high-ranking officers such as Collectors, Additional Collectors, Deputy Collectors, Superintendents, and others.
Further investigations conducted at the FIA ACC Karachi Police Station revealed alarming details about the widespread corruption and smuggling operations involving customs officials.
During interrogations, both customs officials confessed to their involvement in facilitating the transportation of smuggled goods from border areas of Balochistan to Karachi through organized land routes.
They implicated several other customs officers, including three top customs officials, who allegedly received significant shares of the speed money collected at various customs check posts in exchange for providing assistance to smugglers.
The arrested officials also disclosed the name of a betel nut factory operator, who is running a smuggling network for betel nuts from Balochistan’s border areas to Karachi. His betel nut factory is located in the Shershah Industrial Area of Karachi.
The evidence obtained during the investigation, including documents and digital records, has established a prima facie case against both customs officials under the Prevention of Corruption Act 1947 and relevant sections of the Customs Act 1969 and Pakistan Penal Code. Consequently, the FIA ACC after getting approval from the competent authorities also booked all three top customs officials and others in the case, the FIR said.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2023