FIA wants action against tax evaders

Grand Hyatt Hotel case

LAHORE: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has asked the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) to take action for tax evasion against all those individuals/companies concealing their flats at the Grand Hyatt Hotel Islamabad or showing them under value in their tax returns, The News has learnt.

Interior Ministry sources told this correspondent on Tuesday the FIA Punjab had written letter No DPL/FIA/CC/C-10/17/15375-78 dated May 15, 2017 to the FBR chairman, asking him to take legal action against all those owners who either have not shown these flats in their wealth statements or showed their lesser value in their tax returns. The FIA letter said they had registered a case on the allegations of fraud, forgery, cheating, criminal breach of trust, impersonation and misuse of official powers against the directors of the BNP Pvt Limited, CDA officials and others regarding illegal lease deed, illegal construction and illegal sale of luxury apartments, causing around Rs 25 billion loss to the national exchequer.

FIA sources seeking anonymity told The News around 240 influential people purchased the flats.

“The purchasers who even declared these apartments showed their lesser value. You are requested to initiate legal action against the delinquent individuals/companies under relevant provisions of law related to tax evasion,” the letter said. The FIA also asked the FBR to contact the purchasers whose addresses were not known through the builder for their statements.Several efforts were made to contact FBR Spokesman Dr Muhammad Iqbal through phone calls and text messages, but he didn’t respond.