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Dodging Tk 2.66cr Tax

ACC sues 24 including 7 ex-customs officials

Mohammad Suman, Ctg
The Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) yesterday filed 18 cases against 24 persons - including seven retired customs officials, 13 importers and four clearing and forwarding (C&F) agents - on charges of dodging around Tk 2.66 crore tax.
Customs sources said 93 importers and 12 C&F agents had released 171 consignments of imported goods through Chattogram Port paying lower duties, and dodged revenue worth Tk 33.17 crore between September 2009 and December 2010.
ACC has filed 18 cases over dodging taxes in 18 consignments. "The commission is inquiring into forgery on the rest 153 consignments. More cases will be filed,” an ACC source said.
A seven-member committee, led by Hossain Ahmad, commissioner of Pangaon Customs House, was formed near the end of 2015 to investigate the tax evasion.
The committee submitted its report in September 2016 mentioning that 35 customs officials ignored "database values" during taxation, and submitted fake clean reports of finding (CRF), replacing the original copies. They also released non-importable goods, showing them as importable.
The committee recommended departmental action against 35 officials and to file criminal cases against 93 importers and 12 C&F agents.
But authorities concerned did not comply with those.
Earlier in January 2012, a six-member inquiry committee was, formed headed by the then director general of Customs Intelligence and Investigation Directorate, Sultan Mohammad Iqbal (now a member of the NBR).
The committee mentioned involvement of 40 customs
officers in the incident. The Daily Star has obtained FIR copies of three cases.
According to one statement, proprietor of ZI International Jahirul Islam imported iron padlock in 2010, the HS code for which was 8301.10.00. Total duty of the product was around Tk 25 lakh.
The importer appointed MC Shipping Agencies as C&F agent, who created fake documents and changed the code to HS 9030.8900 which refers to ordinary electrical tester. The duty of the product was Tk 48,202. Thus, with help of custom officers, they evaded Tk 24.5 lakh in duties.
ACC officials filed the cases against seven retired customs revenue officials — Shafiul Alam, Humayun Kabir, Nizamul Haque, Syed Humayun Akhtar, Pranbandhu Bikash Pal, Mohammad Safiul Alam and Md Saifur Rahman.
The 13 accused importers are Md Qasif Forkan, Md Harun Shah, Md Abul Hasnat Sohag, Md Mominul Islam, Mirza Ahsanuzzaman, MA Alim, Md Musa Bhuiyan, Mainul Alam Chowdhury, Forkan Ahmed, Md Nurul Alam, Md Zahirul Islam, Md Rubel Ahmed and Md Ainul Haque. The accused four C&F firm owners are Sahidur Rahman, Saiful Islam, Fahad Abedin Sohan and Jyotimay Saha.
"The seven customs officials will be arrested very soon," Lutfur Kabir Chandan, deputy director of ACC in Chattogram, told The Daily Star.
In a letter to NBR on March 7, the then customs commissioner Mostafizur Rahman said the government had incurred loss of Tk 33.17 crore due to the release of those consignments. Only Tk 7.48 crore of that could be realised later.