In a first-of-its-kind operation, the Anti Benami Initiative (ABI) Zone – I, Islamabad confiscated a luxury five-door vehicle from a residential premise in the capital. The initial clue to this vehicle’s benami ownership was traced from Excise Office Islamabad Capital Territory. The suspected benami owner was not enrolled with FBR and upon inquiry, he disowned the vehicle and disclosed that he was just a driver whose CNIC was used by the beneficial owner of the vehicle.
After completion of inquiry and investigation, a reference was filed to the Adjudicating Authority which was decided in favor of ABI. Whereabouts of the vehicle were traced to a house in Islamabad which was subsequently searched, and, on 2nd June 2021, the vehicle was confiscated/impounded with the help of local Law Enforcement Agencies (LEAs) under the Benami Transactions Prohibition Act 2017.
In accordance with the directions of the Prime Minister, momentum against benami assets accelerated in June 2019 with the inception of Anti Benami Zones across Pakistan. The three newly created zones, while functioning under the supervision of a Directorate General, have so far filed more than 90 references containing various categories of assets including shares, bank accounts, vehicles, land, and buildings, etc. Among them are 33 vehicles that shall be confiscated as soon as these references attain finality under the law.
