ISLAMABAD: The Finance Bill 2020 has made amendments to Customs Act, 1969 and defined any concealment of currency or gold in passengers’ baggage shall be treated as smuggling.
In this regard amendment made to Section 139 of Customs Act, 1969 through Finance Bill, 2020 issued on Friday.
(Note: Amendments in red)
139. Declaration by passenger or crew of baggage.- (1) The owner of any baggage whether a passenger or a member of the crew shall, for the purposes of clearing it, make a verbal or written declaration of its contents in such manner as may be prescribed by rules to the appropriate officer and shall answer such questions as the said officer may put to him with respect to his baggage and any article contained therein or carried with him and shall produce such baggage and any such articles for examination:
Provided that where the Customs Computerized System is operational, all declarations and communications shall be electronic.
“(2) Where any passenger or a member of the crew makes a false declaration or fails to make such declaration as required under sub-section (1), he shall be guilty of an offence under this Act.”; and
“(3) Notwithstanding the provisions of sub-section (2), where any person attempts to bring into or takes out of Pakistan, currency, gold, precious metals or stones, in any form, through concealment in baggage or circumventing customs controls at airports, sea-ports and land border custom-stations, he shall be guilty of an offence of smuggling within the meaning of clause (s) of section 2.”
