ISLAMABAD: The Customs Department has issued rules to effectively tackle cases of money laundering involving a revenue evasion of over Rs50 million.

A Customs General Order no.1 of 2023 issued on Wednesday listed details that will qualify for lodging cases against persons on account of predicate offences.

According to rules, all cases of seizure of currency, bearer negotiable instruments, gold and precious stones will be communicated for information and record of the counter-terrorism department (CTD), under intimation to the Directorate of Cross Boarder Currency Movement (CBCM).

Customs and CTD will continue to use the existing inter-agency coordination mechanism, including the Border Task Force (BTF) forum, for mutual information sharing, cooperation and coordination against organised crimes, including money laundering and terrorism financing.

During the investigation of predicate offences, the investigating officer of customs will keep the checklist in view while considering whether a case qualifies to be referred to CTD or not.

In cases, where a collectorate/directorate of Pakistan Customs, makes a seizure, lodges an FIR or frames a contravention case which fulfils the prescribed criteria will be referred to the respective Regional Directorate of the Directorate General of Intelligence and Investigation (Customs) to the Directorate of CBCM, for parallel money laundering investigation under the AMLA 2010.

The collector/director will ensure that in all cases where the accused or the criminal offence has links in a foreign jurisdiction and evidence from such foreign jurisdiction can be useful for investigation, an AML request is sent to the concerned foreign jurisdiction through a formal prescribed channel.

Published in Dawn, March 23rd, 2023