Speed money case: Customs officers placed on FIA’s stop list

KARACHI: The ‘wanted’ Customs officers on charges of ‘speed money’ were placed on the stop list of the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) to stop them from fleeing abroad, ARY News reported on Sunday.

Major progress was made on actions against the ‘corrupt’ Customs officers wanted to the FIA. The authorities placed the accused officers on FIA’s stop list for stopping them to leave the country after the registration of the speed money case.

The accused officers include Customs Collectors Saqif Saeed, Usman Bajwa and Amir Them who have been placed on the stop list. The other officers included Customs Officer Yawar Abbas and Tariq Mehmood who had already been arrested on the corruption charges.

The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) also placed chalia smuggler Imran Noorani’s name on the stop list.

Sources told ARY News that the anti-corruption circle forwarded the list of the wanted Customs officers to FIA immigration. It was learnt that Customs Collector Saqif Saeed wants to flee abroad and he took one-year leave for travelling to a foreign country.

The authorities suspended Saeed’s leaves just after arresting the two accused officials. The FIA also lodged a case against Saeed alongside other accused officers.

On Friday, the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) claimed to have rounded up two Pakistan Customs officers in the mega corruption scandal.

Tariq Mahmood and Yawar Abbass, who were ‘missing’ from last week, rounded up while going to Islamabad.

According to the FIA officials, the arrested Pakistan Customs officers used to take money from the smugglers for clearance of their goods from checkposts.

According to FIA officials, Rs5.4 million, $2,500, and 6,100 Darhams were also recovered from their possession.

They were receiving Rs40 to 60 million monthly from the customs checkposts, the FIA officials said and added that a mega corruption scandal has been registered against the customs officers at the FIA anti-corruption circle.