FAISALABAD, Oct 9: The Customs officials have been collecting Laboratory Fund from exporters and importers for the last six months, at the upcountry dry-ports, in violation of the Central Board of Revenue directions in this regard.

Reports said the Dry Port Trust, with the help of Custom officials and exporters, established a laboratory to test export and import samples about a couple of years ago. It was decided that Rs200 would be charged per export consignment while Rs500 were fixed for an import consignment. The laboratory staff was provided by the Customs department.

It was made mandatory for the importers and exporters to provide the samples of their products in bulk for the laboratory tests. It was also decided that no consignment could be handled without laboratory certificate.

The laboratory staff, reportedly, collected millions of rupees under the ‘Laboratory Fund’ head.

Sources said written orders were issued by the Customs officials in which it was made clear that 40 per cent of the collected amount would be distributed among the laboratory staff while the remaining 60 per cent would be spent by the officials for ‘betterment’ of the laboratory and meeting its expenses.

However, after a few months of the establishment of the laboratory, the share of the staff was stopped and the same amount was placed under the department’s high-up’s discretion.

About six months ago, a junior clerk deputed at the Faisalabad dry-port’s laboratory allegedly misappropriated a huge amount from the fund and managed to escape. Later, a high-level inquiry was conducted and orders were issued by the CBR for immediate stoppage of Laboratory Fund collection at the upcountry dry-ports, including Faisalabad dry-port, because the FDPT management had shown its willingness to bear the laboratory expenses.

Despite the CBR orders, the local Customs officials have been continuing with the fund collection without any accountability or audit of the expenditures.

FDPT sources revealed that after the CBR ban on the fund collection, the local Customs officials allegedly collected Rs4.4 million as Laboratory Fund from the exporters and importers. Similarly, during 2004-05, Rs8.5 million were collected under this head and these amounts were spent without any audit.

FDPT management in its recent letter to the Faisalabad Chamber of Commerce and Industry (FCCI), and Pakistan Textile Exporters Association (PTEA), has mentioned the fund collection “without any cogent reason” and requested these bodies to move higher authorities for checking this practice.