20000412

Licence cancelled

for shipment

against forged visas

MUZAFFAR QURESHI

KARACHI: The Export Promotion Bureau has cancelled the export licence of a Faisalabad firm, M/S Hitec International, for making shipments of quota products in Categories 666-P and 666-S ( pillow cases and sheets) to USA against forged visas.

According to the adjudication order passed by the EPB vice chairman after a completing the proceedings, comprising issuance of a show cause notice and personal hearing a penalty of Rs.52,935,Ñ 100 equivalent to the 200 percent of the FOB value of shipments made on forged visas has also been imposed on the firm. Ñ which been asked to provide quota for illegal shipments of 108,411 kgs and 11,681 kg in Categories 666-S and 666-P.

The EPB also imposed penalties of Rs. 64,363,250 and Rs. 10,516,950 on Saaqib Fabrics and Shabbir Associates respectively on a similar charge of making shipment in the above mentioned categories to the USA on forged visas. The penalties are 100 percent of the FOB value of the shipments made on forged visas. The two firms were also informed that the illegal shipments would not count towards their performance in 2000 and were asked to immediately provide quota in categories in question against the shipments made in excess of their entitlement. Till the provision of quotas their quota service through the concerned association will remain suspended.

The three firms belonged to the same owner and penalties were imposed on them earlier also by the EPB vice chairman in a separate case made on charges of making shipments of pillow cases and sheets in Category 20 to Europe on forged visas.

EPB Vice Chairman Masood Alam Rizvi told Business Recorder that the EPB had taken a somewhat lenient view in the judgement in the forgery case because all the foreign exchange earned through forged shipments had already been remitted to Pakistan. Secondly the two firms Ñ Saaqib Fabrics and Shabbir Associates Ñ have considerable export business other than textile quota. The cancellation of registration of their export licence would have resulted in loss of exports to the country.