Mumbai (The Hawk): In a corruption case, a special CBI court in Mumbai on Wednesday convicted two Customs officials and four others to prison terms of varying lengths.
The court sentenced Taufiq Hazi Gaffar to seven years of rigorous imprisonment and a fine of Rs. 5.3 crore, as well as Vinayak M. Bhende, a former assistant commissioner of the EOU section of customs, to two years in prison and a fine of Rs. 20 lakh, Vinay Kumar, a former appraiser of the EOU section of customs, to one year in prison and a fine of Rs. 5 lakh, Maqsood Abdul Karim
On the basis of a complaint from the Additional Commissioner of Customs, Special Intelligence & Investigation Branch, Mumbai, the CBI had opened an investigation in 2003 against a private company and others, including its directors and unidentified Customs and Central Excise officers.
By submitting fake procurement certificates, the defendants were found responsible for clearing 38 consignments of fabrics under the duty-free 100% EOU Scheme.
The accused provided bogus procurement certificates worth Rs 4.15 crore, on which Rs 4.25 crore in customs duty exemption was obtained.
Additionally, it was claimed that the duty-free goods were misappropriated and sold on the local market, causing a loss of the aforementioned magnitude.
Following an investigation, a chargesheet was submitted to the Court of Special Judge, CBI Cases, Mumbai in 2005, and it resulted in the conviction of every defendant.
(Inputs from Agencies)
