UPDATE: A Lahore accountability court, in an order dated January 31, 2020, found that there was no ground for proceeding with the trial of the case and acquitted the accused. The order, however, would not affect the recovery proceedings of taxes, if any, from the executive of AI-Shamshair Engineering Private Limited.

LAHORE: The National Accountability Bureau Lahore on Monday arrested seven officials of the Pakistan Customs for “abuse of power and illicit personal gains” worth Rs185 million.

Those arrested included Karachi Additional Collector Amir Rasheed Sheikh, former Lahore assistant collector Muhammad Tufail, former superintendent Khalid Mehmood, Inland Revenue inspectors Muhammad Afzal Dogar and Muhammad Akram and inspectors Sheikh Nadeem Latif and Syed Ali Abbas.

A spokesman said the suspects, in connivance with directors of M/s Al-Shamsher Engineering (Pvt) Ltd, caused a loss of Rs185 million to the national exchequer through evading duty by misusing and violating conditions of concessionary SROs from 1997 to 2003.

“The accused used to import raw material and sell it in the open market on high prices instead of using it for the required purposes under the laid down conditions. In doing so, the accused persons have committed corruption, misuse of authority and caused loss to the national exchequer,” he added.

The spokesman said Amir Rashid had been arrested from Karachi and he would be brought to Lahore. The other suspects would be produced before the accountability court on Tuesday (today) for obtaining their physical remand.

Published in Dawn, September 8th, 2015

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