NAB court has acquitted all 400 clearing agents and six customs officials in 7,922 missing containers scam. According to sources, the Afghan transit missing containers scam, which came on surface in 2010, was initially based on 189 missing containers. They said that Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) on the directives of the Supreme Court had made a report of 7,922 missing containers on the basis of transit time. Later, the case has been transferred to NAB.
They said NAB had issued notices against clearing agents, importers, officials of FBR and others under section 19 read with 27 of National Accountability Ordinance, 1999 to pursue the case against them in NAB court. They said notices were aimed at taking written statements from the accused persons to file references against them in accountability court.
Moreover, they said 400 clearing agents and six customs officers were accused in NAB's reference in the court and added that NAB in its investigation report confirmed that only 1,700 were missing while the records of rest of the containers were found during investigation. Furthermore, sources said accused persons remained co-operative with the NAB investigators and produced all relevant documents asked by them in that case that led to satisfy the inquiry officers. Resultantly, NAB court had acquitted all accused persons in this case, they maintained.