LAHORE: Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) Dr Asif Mahmood Jah has observed that a total of 3451 lots are awaiting disposal in the Customs department while 555 lots are pending under litigation.
While pointing out that pendency was spread out all over the Customs stations countrywide, he has held that an alarming pendency in disposal of confiscated goods was leading to clogging and congestion at the port areas as well as at Customs State warehouses.
He passed these remarks regarding large quantities of goods (like currency, gold, silver, precious stones, antiques, arms & ammunition, fire crackers narcotics, cigarettes, liquor, banned drugs, acetic anhydride, medicines, chemicals, obscene films and literature and other goods which are health/environmental or social hazards or unfit for human consumption and are lying country wide in various Customs State Warehouses.
According to him, non-application of the Customs laws, procedures and CGOs is causing unnecessary delay in disposal of confiscated goods tantamount to maladministration.
He has instructed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to direct the Member Customs (Ops) and Director General l&l Customs, FBR to issue immediate directions to the Collectors/Directors concerned to completely eliminate this huge pendency and dispose of or destroy such goods ripe for disposal/destruction.
It may be noted that Para/Sr Nos 34, 36 and 36A of CGO 12/2002 dated 15.06.2002 clearly provides a precise, established and comprehensive mechanism for disposal of seized/confiscated goods, narcotic and other items seized/confiscated by the Customs department and other agencies.
He lamented that the Customs authorities on one hand are not disposing these goods under the relevant provisions of laws and rules thus leading to their pilferage and replacement. Moreover, the Customs authorities are not disposing of these goods as required under the law, due to neglect, inattention and inefficiency, contrary to law and falls within the ambit of maladministration as defined under Section 2(3) of the FTO Ordinance, 2000.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2024