SC directs NAB, FBR to proceed against officials involved in container scam

The Supreme Court on Tuesday directed the chairmen of the National Accountability Bureau and the Federal Board of Revenue as well as the federal tax ombudsman to jointly conduct investigation and proceed against the officials involved in ISAF and NATO missing containers scam, without getting influenced by the SC’s proceedings into the matter.
The three-member bench of Chief Justice Iftikhar Muhammad Chaudhry, Justice Tariq Parvez and Justice Ijaz Ahmed Chaudhry was hearing a case pertaining to over 95,374 missing containers of US military going from Karachi port to Afghanistan from January 2007 to December 2010, causing over Rs 55 billion in losses to the economy.
The court also directed the three officials to devise a strategy for the recovery of the evaded tax and prosecution against those involved in the scam.
Raja Irshad, counsel for FBR chairman Salman Siddique, submitted a report before the court on the progress so far made into the matter. He said the matter of missing containers had already been sent to NAB and owners of over 18,010 of the 28,802 missing containers had been issued show-cause notices.
He said the process of issuance of show-cause notices would be completed by December 31, adding that the appeals of owners of missing containers had already been dismissed by the Sindh High Court. The chief justice noted that except paper work, no serious action had been taken so far. He said neither of the accused was suspended nor arrested.