The Senate Subcommittee on Interior on Monday transferred the Rs. 1.12 trillion cigarette tax theft case to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) after Chairman Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) Rashid Langrial didn’t attend the meeting.
The senators directed FIA to complete its investigation within two months and submit a report to the committee.
Expressing dissatisfaction with the FBR’s handling of the matter, the committee chairman didn’t think FBR can settle the case and decided to hand it over to FIA.
The committee also ordered a comprehensive investigation into all cigarette brands and manufacturers, while directing authorities to initiate action against factories importing raw materials under quota schemes.
Lawmakers questioned the role of customs authorities in the alleged tax theft and sought a detailed probe into the movement of cigarettes and the import of raw materials under special arrangements.
The issue came under discussion after the committee reviewed the seizure of a consignment of smuggled cigarettes by the Customs Department during its previous meeting.
A Member Customs informed the committee that all trucks carrying the cigarette consignment had been taken into custody and that the Motorway Police had been alerted in advance based on intelligence regarding the smuggling operation.
However, Senator Talha Mahmood questioned whether the case fell within the Customs Department’s jurisdiction. A customs official told the committee there was a possibility that the smuggled cigarettes had entered Pakistan from Afghanistan.
The committee directed the FIA to investigate all aspects of the alleged tax theft, including the role of cigarette companies, quota-based imports and any officials found to be involved.
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