ISLAMABAD: The Federal Investigation Agency has registered a case against five officials of the Federal Board of Revenue and private company officials. The case involved the theft of 2,828 cigarette cartons from the FBR’s warehouses.
The cigarettes disappeared from Federal Board of Revenue warehouses in Swabi and Mardan, causing an estimated Rs250 million loss. The FIA Anti-Corruption Circle registered the case on the complaint of Assistant Director Muhammad Safir Ahmed.
According to the FIR, five FBR officials and three private company representatives have been nominated as accused. The FBR officials include Inspectors Kamran and Naveed, a driver, a security guard and a naib qasid.
Meanwhile, the private company’s two directors and a manager also face allegations in the case.
FIA Launches Raids to Arrest Suspects
According to the FIR, officials seized 1,262 cigarette cartons in Swabi in February 2024. They later stored the cartons at an FBR warehouse in Mardan before transferring 1,202 cartons back to Swabi. However, officials found 908 cartons missing when the trucks reached the Swabi warehouse.
After around three months, officials reportedly claimed to have recovered 907 cartons.
Nevertheless, an inspection conducted a year later found that 2,828 cartons were missing, including the previously recovered stock. The FIR alleged that FBR officials colluded with private company representatives and caused a major loss to the national exchequer. It also alleged that warehouse staff deliberately failed to maintain logbooks and did not install CCTV cameras.
The FIA officials have launched raids to arrest the nominated suspects.
Senate Panel Previously Investigated Disappearance
Earlier in April, a Senate sub-committee investigated the disappearance of 2,828 cigarette cartons from FBR warehouses in Swabi and Mardan. The committee met at Parliament House under Senator Saifullah Abro to determine responsibility for the missing stock. The FIA told the panel that 1,262 cartons belonged to Paramount Tobacco Company’s Kissan Tobacco brand. Moreover, the agency was working to determine ownership of the remaining cartons. The committee also called for scrutiny of the assets of officers allegedly involved in the matter.
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