ACC smells port, customs officials’ connection in clearance of liquor consignments

Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) has smelled connection of officials of Chattogram Port and Chattogram Customs House in import and clearance process of liquor consignments from the port through import permit (IP) forgery.

After conducting a drive at Chattogram Customs on Thursday, Deputy Director Nazmus Sadat of Chattogram ACC Integrated Office-1, told The Business Standard that it is not acceptable that only importers and C&F agent were involved in such a big incident in government entities like Chattogram Port and Chattogram Customs.

"It is also suspicious that only the importers and the C&F agent were accused in the case filed by the customs. So, we talked to the customs officials and collected the documents."

The collected information has already been sent to ACC head office in writing, he added.

ACC Deputy Director (Attached) Md Fazlul Bari and Assistant Director Md Emran Hossain participated in the drive to enquiry and collect documents related to releasing that liquor consignments.

The Rapid Action Battalion, on 23 July, confiscated a large consignment of foreign liquors disguised as threads and machinery in Narayanganj's Sonargaon en route from the Chattogram Port.

The containers, each 40 feet long, were taken out through the port's Gate No by making a false declaration that they were imported by Ishwardi EPZ BHK Textile Mills Ltd and Cumilla EPZ Hashy Tiger Company Ltd.

The total price of recovered liquors, weighing 31,625 litres, would be Tk4.46 crore as per government-fixed rates and including VAT.

On 24 July, Customs officials seized one more consignment of illegal liquor from Chittagong port just one day after seizing two liquor consignments from Narayanganj.

The total price of recovered liquors, weighing 15,204 litres, would be Tk2.03crore as per government-fixed rates and including VAT.

The importers evaded duty of Tk20.68 crore in the two consignments.