The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has reportedly adopted an inattentive approach to protect its seven customs officers, who are allegedly involved in the clearance of 54,000 vehicles under 'Vehicle Amnesty Scheme' in 2013; it was learnt here on Monday.
According to sources, Directorate General of Post Clearance Audit (DGPCA) had initiated an inquiry against alleged customs officials in June and served them notices to appear before an investigation team for clarifying their administrative decisions, taken during an amnesty period to clear 54,000 vehicles. They said that the DGPCA in its report sent to the FBR expressed dissatisfaction over the statements recorded by alleged customs officers before the investigation team.
However, the board appears inattentive to implement the DGPCA recommendations with the view to protect these customs officers, the sources alleged. They said that the team had investigated the veracity of the information, which revealed that 54,000 vehicles were cleared without physical inspection, a mandatory requirement to clear vehicles under amnesty scheme.
They said that as per a notification issued at that time for the regularisation of non-duty paid smuggled vehicles under 'Vehicle Amnesty Scheme', 2013, motor vehicles having non-tampered engine or chassis numbers, which had been seized or voluntarily presented to customs department, shall not be allowed the release without the physical inspection and payment of redemption fine along with duty and taxes.
However, applicants, who were required to get physical inspection of the vehicle done for availing tax amnesty, were allowed to regularise their non-duty paid smuggled vehicles without physical inspection by these alleged customs officers, sources said. During the amnesty period, these officers allegedly granted tax amnesty to the smuggled vehicles without physical inspection against undue gains, they maintained.
Sources further said that the customs officers were accused of 'under the table settlement' for allowing tax amnesty to the smuggled vehicles, which were physically not presented in the country during amnesty period. Therefore, Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) in its suo moto action recommended the FBR to conduct the Post Clearance Audit of these vehicles after the investigation. But the PCA report submitted by the DGPCA is going to be shelved, due to current inattentive approach being shown by the authority, sources lamented.