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Download PDF More than Tk 500 crore customs duty on importing fruits was evaded at Hili and Burimari land ports in the last six years.
A team of anti-corruption taskforce probed six years’ records with the two ports and detected the irregularities carried out by the clearing and forwarding (C&F) agents and importers in collaboration with some customs and bank officials.
The taskforce team comprising officials from the army, National Board of Revenue (NBR), police and the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) also found irregularities in importing other goods, but it gave fruits import the highest priority.
According to the team’s findings, the Hili port customs realised about Tk 605 crore as fruits import duty in the last six years while actual duty was Tk 925 crore. At the Burimari land port the realised duty was Tk 300 crore while actual duty was Tk 500 crore.
“Import duty worth Tk 320 crore was evaded at Hili port while about Tk 200 crore at Burimari during January 2001-January 2006,” an official of the taskforce team told The Daily Star requesting anonymity.
“We detected the anomalies after verifying import manifesto records with the customs at the ports, LC [letters of credit] documents with banks concerned and vehicle registers with the BDR [Bangladesh Rifles],” he said.
Traders imported 5 lakh tonnes of fruits through the two ports during the six years although they opened LCs for about 8 lakh tonnes, the official added.
“Verifying the LC documents from 2001 to 2006 with the banks concerned, we detected that the banks made full payment of the LCs against fruits import to all foreign exporters except a few,” he said.
As per customs rule, an importer must produce declaration certificate in case he does not import the same quantity of goods for which he has opened an LC, the taskforce team source said, adding that most importers did not produce declaration certificates although they imported less quantity of goods.
Probing the records with the Burimari port customs, the team found that Metro Foods Agency imported 10,835kg grape on February 17 last year but the customs did not keep any record of it, which means that customs duty on the whole import was evaded, said a team member.
MS Mili Enterprise imported 14 tonnes of apple on October 14 last year through the Burimari land port but the customs did not take the import duty, another source said.
He said they recommended to the Anti-corruption Taskforce in Dhaka for taking action against the customs officials, C&F agents, importers and bank officials involved in the irregularities.
The team also detected a huge gap in the truck entry records kept by the customs and the BDR at the two land ports.
“The BDR recorded entrance of 60 Indian trucks at Burimari port on October 14, 2005 while the customs registered 53 trucks. Again, the BDR recorded entrance of 76 Indian trucks next day while the customs recorded 75 trucks,” said a member of the taskforce team.
“Such anomalies have been done on almost every working day,” he added.
The taskforce team seized an Indian truck loaded with 20.09 tonnes of rice imported by Panama International at the Hili port on June 14. The customs collected duty of only 16 tonnes of rice.
A taskforce team source said the C&F agent produced forged export manifesto for paying customs duty for the imported rice, but the customs did not question the anomaly.
About Tk 15 crore customs duty has been lying outstanding with 47 C&F agents at the Burimari and Hili land ports. Of the amount, Tk 12,56,88,700 has been arrear with 38 C&F agents at the Burimari port and Tk 1,55,70,400 with nine C&F agents at Hili.
The amount was evaded through forged bank chalans during 1999-2001. The anomalies were revealed in different national dailies in 2004.
The National Security Intelligence probed the matter in 2005 and lodged complaints with the Customs Department.
Maruful Islam, an additional general director of customs, investigated the anomaly in 2006 and recommended taking legal action against the C&F agents, customs officials, bank officials and importers concerned. He also recommended realising the taxes.
The Burimari port customs filed cases against 51 C&F agents with the Pathgram Police Station in Lalmonirhat.
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