ISLAMABAD: An official report prepared on the directives of Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC) reveals that it was estimated that at least 7,922 transit containers of the International Security Assistance Force (Isaf) and others worth billions of rupees were pilfered within Pakistan during the last four years and this could be just a tip of the iceberg. The Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) prepared a detailed report in the wake of suo motu action taken by the SC on the “Isaf container scam” and this report was also submitted to the apex court, a copy of which is available with The News. It found that while responsibility in general terms had been fixed, the individuals involved in various mega scams of recent years are to be identified through criminal investigation for which a mechanism is provided under Section 17 of the FTO Ordinance. The SC is going to take up hearing of this suo moto case tomorrow (Wednesday). When contacted, FTO Dr Shoaib Suddle, told The News that the issue was pending before the apex court and after Wednesday’s hearing action would be recommended in the light of the directives given by the SC. The FTO report also found that One-Customs manual clearance system was found particularly prone to huge transit scams. The senior management of customs, the report stated, failed to take necessary steps. The investigation of four mega scams of containers in the past few years indicates a clear pattern. The phenomena of pilferage is not new, neither are the glossing over efforts by senior officers to provide cover-up by creating hindrances in investigations.
