Ex-JP MP sued over dodging taxes
Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) today filed a case against former Natore lawmaker MA Talha and former commissioner of custom excise and vat appeal tribunal Mohammad Nurul Islam for allegedly dodging government revenue amounting to around Tk 1.79 crore.
The case was filed with Khalishpur Police Station in Khulna, said Pranab Kumar Bhattacharya, ACC’s public relation officer.
After completing enquiry, ACC’s Assistant Director Mahatab Uddin submitted the report to the commission which has taken the report in cognizance and decided to file the case.
According to the report, Portland Services Ltd, owned by Talha, is a licensed organisation, which supplies wine, beer, whisky and toiletries to the sailors of foreign ships.
Portland imports these wine, beer, whisky and toiletries and gets duty-free facilities on the condition that it cannot sell these to anywhere else.
According to the report, though there had been documented evidence against Portland of dodging tariff worth Tk 1,79,94,360 in 2009, the then commissioner of custom excise and vat appeal tribunal Nurul ordered that no such incident had taken place.
However, Mongla Custom House appealed against the order.
The allegations were proved and the tribunal imposed Tk 10 lakh fine and ordered Portland to deposit the dodged money.
“Portland imported wine, beer and whisky and sold these to local market,” said Mahatab adding that after scrutinising the documents he has found involvement of both lawmaker and Nurul in the corruption.
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