Reward of meritorious services: DGI&I provides FBR with list of 25 officials

The Directorate General of Intelligence and Investigation Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has provided a list of 25 customs officials including senior officers to the FBR for obtaining reward equivalent to two years salaries along with cash reward for detecting a mega tax scam involving M/s H Sheikh Noor-ud-Din & Sons, (Pvt) Ltd, Lahore.
Sources told Business Recorder here on Saturday that the Directorate General of Intelligence and Investigation FBR has provided the names of the following officials, who detected the amount involved in tax fraud, eligible for meritorious services reward including Humayun Khan Sikandari (Grade-20), Muhammad Zahir-ud-din(Grade-20), Zulfikar Ali Ch(Grade-19), Dr Asif Mahmood Jah (Grade-19), Ahmed Kamal(Grade-18), Humayun Javed (Grade-16), Riaz Ahmed (Grade-16), Abdul Rauf (Grade-16), Qazi Muhammad Aslam (Grade-15), Jamshed Yousaf (Grade-14), Abdul Rauf Farooqi (Grade-14), Mushtaq Ahmad (Grade-14), Dilshad Ahmad (Grade-14), Shafqar Mahmood (Grade-14), M. Haroon Malik (Grade-14), Bazam-ul-hassan (Grade-14), Jamil Ahmed (Grade-14), Naeem Hussain (Grade-13), Muhammad Anwar (Grade-11), Saleemullah (Grade-11), Muhammad Nasrullah (Grade-11), S.M. Abbas Jafri (Grade-11), Ijaz Magsi (Grade-11), Muhammad Saeed (Grade-7) and Farzand Ali (Grade-5).
The said officers have played key role in detecting the mega tax fraud and showed extra-ordinary performance in accurate interpretation of laws, scrutiny of documents and completion of investigation by proper application of laws for recovery of the massive amount evaded by the said unit. As teamwork these officials have unearthed this mega scam and the directorate has requested the Board for reward as admissible under the reward rules, sources said.
According to a letter of the Directorate General Intelligence and Investigation FBR to the tax authorities, Board's approval for grant of special reward amounting to Rs 4,744,344 equal to two years' salary to the officers and staff of this Directorate General who were instrumental in detection of the subject case may be conveyed in terms of Sales Tax Reward Order No 7(2)STC/98 dated November 30, 1998 as proposed vide above referred letter. Furthermore, additional grant under head "Cash Reward" may also be provided to meet the above expenditure.
Sources said that a credible information was received that M/s H Sheikh Noor-ud-Din & Sons, (Pvt) Ltd, Lahore are involved in tax evasion by way of misdeclaration in export and claiming of inadmissible refund. The audit of the unit was started during the month of July 2004 under the supervisions of this Directorate General by getting authorisation from FBR. The matter was referred to NAB Punjab, Lahore who got re-audit of the said unit and worked out the liabilities: Illegal sales tax refund claimed/ sanctioned for the period July 1999 to June 2002 (collectorate's case) involving an amount of Rs 468.547; illegal sales tax refund claimed/ sanctioned for period July 2002 to June 2004 (Directorate General's case) involving an amount of Rs 486.834, Rs 236.551; illegal custom rebate for the period July 2002 to June 2004 (Directorate General's case) involving an amount of Rs 9.310.
Sources said that it was decided by the NAB that an amount of Rs 176.007 million on account of Sales Tax refund claims of the party pending with the Collectorate of Sales Tax & Federal Excise, Lahore will be adjusted against total liability established by NAB which was adjusted by the Collectorate of Sales Tax & Federal Excise. The balance amount Rs 255.216 million was to be deposited by the party in instalments. M/s H Sheikh Noor-ud-Din & Sons (Pvt) Ltd, Lahore has now deposited the amount of 255.216 million.
The above position shows that the party has now deposited/adjusted the entire amount established by the NAB ie Rs 431.233 million. It is therefore requested that the FBR may grant permission equal to two years salaries for meritorious reward as allowed under reward rules C.No 7(2)STC/98 dated 30th November, 1998 to the officers/staff that were actually instrumental in the detection of above said amount. Furthermore, additional grant under the head reward for the aforesaid expenditure may kindly be provided to meet the expenditure which comes to Rs 4,744,344, directorate of customs intelligence added.