FBR cracks down on officers over smuggled vehicle regularisation scam

The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has launched stern action against its officers allegedly involved in the illegal regularisation of smuggled vehicles through forgery in its system, reported 24NewsHD TV channel Wednesday.

According to FBR officials, an inquiry revealed manipulation in the auction module of the FBR V-Book system, where out of 1,909 uploaded vehicle records, 103 were fraudulently entered. Among these, 43 smuggled vehicles were declared legal in the official records.

Investigators also unearthed the use of fake user IDs in the scam. Following initial findings, FBR suspended a Deputy Collector and an Assistant Collector on July 9.

On FBR’s request, a Joint Investigation Team (JIT) was formed comprising representatives from the FIA, Customs, and Intelligence. The FIA has registered an FIR against the officers involved and made arrests, while Customs Enforcement has so far filed seven cases and detained 13 suspects.

The FBR said the identification of corrupt elements within the institution is ongoing and vowed that strict action against those found guilty will continue.