ISLAMABAD: Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigation Islamabad has arrested Intelligence Officer (IO) Hamid Habib in an embezzlement case related to a warehouse in Quetta.
According to sources, he is being kept in Islamabad and will soon be transferred to Quetta for further investigations.
IO Habib is the witness against the Customs DG and his cronies in a number of corruption cases that NAB Quetta is currently investigating. In addition to this, Habib is also a witness against the Customs DG in one more application forwarded to NAB Rawalpindi by Customs Intelligence officer Amir Shabbir.
Sources said that Customs officials in Islamabad were following the instructions of the high-ups and reportedly tore down Habib’s clothes. They further said that a few months ago, Customs Intelligence director approached Habib and asked him not to record any statement against the DG and his cronies. The officials have also registered a First Information Report (FIR) against him in an embezzlement case.
It is worth mentioning that the IO had challenged his abrupt transfers and also the transactions of the goods and vehicles from State Warehouse Quetta without. In his petition, Habib noted that he was abruptly transferred thrice in 2017, first on January 28, the second time on April 17 and the third time on June 6. He termed this as a violation of the judgment of the Supreme Court (SC) regarding abrupt transfers.
Habib is serving as the IO under the Directorate of Customs Intelligence and Investigations since 1994. He has been posted at different places and is a competent officer in his field. In the past year, he collected sizeable revenue on seized vehicles and goods. Habib is also the in-charge of the state warehouse and due to his abrupt transfers, the handing over the warehouse which currently houses seized goods could not be brought into effect. Despite several notices, the director general and the subordinate officers had enabled the handing over of the warehouse which is also hampering the delivery of goods to successful bidders as some of the goods have already been auctioned.
In his petition, Habib had requested the Balochistan High Court that the proper taking over of the state warehouse be brought into effect in letter and spirit and if it is not done, no liability should be fixed on his shoulders.
On the condition of anonymity, one senior officer of Customs Intelligence said that the affairs of Customs Intelligence have been deteriorating with every passing day. The high-ups of FBR, including Senator Haroon Akhtar are silent on this matter despite knowing the truth, he added.
In another case, Customs Court Rawalpindi has ordered the remand of Tahir Iqbal in a case pertaining to the import of dyes. An FIR was also registered against him.
