CBIC Takes Strong Action on Chennai Customs Irregularities

Recently, the Central Board of Indirect Taxes and Customs (CBIC) has taken strict action after a company named Wintrack Inc. complained about the irregularities at Chennai Customs. The Department of Revenue (DoR), which was required to carry out a fair, transparent and fact-based investigation, submitted an enquiry report to CBIC. As per the initial findings, CBIC is now launching a full investigation, which is expected to be complete in 4 to 6 weeks.

The reports revealed that some fraud may have been committed by the importers’ own agents or middlemen. Because of this, the board has suspended the license of Customs Brokers that were mentioned in the report, under Regulation 16 of the Customs Brokers Licensing Regulation, 2018. They also filed a police complaint against the unauthorised people involved.

To make sure the whole investigation is transparent, fair, and honest, CBIC has removed the officers whose names were mentioned in the report from their current duty and has posted them out of jurisdiction.

In an effort to take further appropriate steps, the CBIC is also forming a Task Force under the Member (Customs). This team will review pending cases, especially for MSMEs and small importers, to ensure transparent and legally correct application of the regulation.

The team will also make sure no officer misuses their power. The team will closely watch such fraud cases so that they can be disposed of quickly. The Task Force will also work on making the faceless assessment system more anonymous. Only Custom House Agents will be allowed into Customs locations, and updates about actions taken will be shared publicly through Customs portals.

With these steps, CBIC aims at strengthening the complaint redressal system by regular monitoring and review by the Task Force Team. These steps reflect the government’s effort to make Customs administration more honest, fair, and transparent.