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A team of the Anti-Corruption Commission (ACC) Thursday seized a huge quantity of foreign contraband cigarettes of Benson and Hedges brand worth about Tk 55 million from the Kamalapur Inland Container Depot, reports UNB.
The containers were supposed to carry imported table lamps. The consignment came from China, an ACC official said.
The owners of the clearing and forwarding agent of the consignment are close relations of a powerful minister, sources said.
A few days back, the ACC came to know that a consignment arrived at the depot with a huge quantity of Benson and Hedges cigarettes instead of table lamps as declared by the importer.
Having received the information, the ACC wrote to concerned officials including the Chairman of the National Board of Revenue and the Commissioner and Joint Commissioner (Customs) with a request to open the containers in presence of an ACC team.
The containers were opened Thursday in presence of the ACC team led by deputy director Mubara Khanam. Concerned people from customs and customs intelligence, clearing and forwarding agency and agent of the pre-shipment inspection organisation were also present.
However, the importer Suruvi Enterprise did not make the appearance.
Having compiled a report, the ACC team would submit it to the Commission to decide the future course of actions.
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