Some 26 development partners and international organisations have to return or renew 395 passbooks, used by their foreign officials for importing cars and other goods under duty-free facility.
Customs officials suspect that those cars have been sold out illegally by some of the privileged people, abusing the duty-free facility.
National Board of Revenue (NBR) issued an instruction to return or renew the passbooks by January 31, 2017 to avoid any untoward situation as per the Customs Act.
The board recently issued a directive to nine customs houses across the country to request the office heads of the development partners, international organisations and UN entities for returning or renewing the passbooks.
It also gave instruction to take legal actions as per the Customs Act in case of failure to return or renew the passbooks by the given timeframe.
The customs authority issued the passbooks to the development partners to import cars and other goods under The Privileged Persons (customs procedures) Rules 2003, SRO 237-Law/2003/2015 Cus, dated August 2, 2003, clause 6, clause-7 and clause-9.
The privileged persons can import cars and other products under duty-free facility using those passbooks.
Under the customs rules, it is mandatory for the privileged persons to hand over the passbooks to the authority concerned before leaving Bangladesh.
In case of violation of the rules, the office chief/head of the development partners and international organisations of the respective passbook holders have to resolve the matter within 60 days of leaving of the country by the privileged person(s) of their offices.
Customs officials have found some of those privileged persons, who worked in various development organisations, have not returned their passbooks before leaving the country.
A large amount of revenue is involved with the passbooks, as various high-duty products have been imported under duty-free facility against those books, officials said.
"Office chief of the organisation, in which the person worked, is liable for not surrendering his/her passbook," said one customs official.
Those passbooks have to be surrendered by January 31, 2017 by the office chief of the organisations concerned. If any of the passbooks is not renewed or not surrendered, customs authority will issue show-cause notice as per the Section 179 of Customs Act 1969, and update NBR about the development.
Talking to the FE, several field-level customs officials said they have started sending the letters to the development partners and international organizations as per NBR's instruction.
Officials said World Bank (WB), Department for International Development (DFID), United Nations Development Programme (UNDP), Japan International Cooperation Agency (JICA) and other organizations have obtained the passbooks for their non-resident officials.
Customs Intelligence officials indentified the privileged persons neither renewed nor surrendered the passbooks before leaving the country.
Earlier, the customs officials seized two luxury cars from two former employees of UNDP.
The officials found former UNDP country director Stephen Prisner sold his car to a Bangladeshi staff of the organisation.
Another former UNDP staff Kishore Kumar Singh, who is currently working with International Labour Organisation (ILO), was found illegally using his car against an expired passbook.
Other development partners and international organisations are: International Federation of Red Cross (IFRC), World Fish, The Asia Foundation, International Labour Organisation (ILO), International Finance Corporation (IFC), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), World Health Organisation (WHO), United States Agency for International Development (USAID), World Food Programme (WFP), Asian Development Bank (ADB), UNICEF, ICDDR,B, KOICA, GIZ, UNFPA, British Council, British High Commission, CARE, CIRDAP, DANIDA and UNHCR.
doulot_akter@yahoo.com
