The Federal Tax Ombudsman (FTO) has mandated that customs officials deposit all valuable items, including gold, cash, and other precious articles, in the State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) or the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) to prevent theft from customs storage facilities.
This directive comes as part of a proactive investigation launched by the FTO into the handling of seized or confiscated valuables such as various currencies and precious metals stored in customs warehouses.
Numerous complaints have highlighted the mismanagement and negligence of customs personnel, leading to the theft or misappropriation of these items.
Upon reviewing responses from various customs field operations, the FTO identified several shortcomings in the protocols for securing confiscated goods, notably gold.
Field offices were unable to justify why a significant portion of seized goods remained in state warehouses instead of being securely deposited in designated banks.
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Particularly, the Customs Collectorate in Lahore was noted for not transferring 46 critical items to the SBP, following the theft of 54 items from a total cache of 100 at a state warehouse. Meanwhile, certain goods are still awaiting auction.
The Customs Collectorate in Karachi has not updated the status or location of 126 items, citing pending stock verification as the reason for the delay.
In Peshawar, while some gold has been moved to the SBP, other items continue to be stored at state facilities.
The clarity regarding the resolution proceedings of these cases remains ambiguous.
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The field offices have yet to furnish all necessary details as demanded by the FTO.
The FTO has instructed the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to ensure the completion of missing information and to enforce the transfer of all valuables to the SBP or NBP to safeguard against potential thefts.
Furthermore, the FBR is required to accurately report on the current status of legal proceedings concerning these matters and to take decisive action to resolve incidents of theft, especially those involving the Customs Collectorate in Lahore, the FTO emphasized.
