SUV, brought in under MP quota, seized in Gulshan

Customs intelligence members today seized a luxury sport utility vehicle (SUV) from Gulshan diplomatic zone in Dhaka that was bought by "misusing lawmaker quota".

Acting on a tip-off, the customs intelligence team raided at a house in Gulshan area and seized the vehicle, a text massage floated to the media said.

Former home minister Abdul Matin of Narayanganj-1 constituency imported the 4500cc car in 2006, said the release.

The applicable customs duty was about Tk 5 crore, which he got exempted as a lawmaker. He was elected MP in 2001 from Narayanganj 1 and imported the jeep at the fag end of the parliament, according to a Facebook post of Customs Intelligence, Bangladesh.

“Under SRO no 266, dt [dated] 22.08.2005 an MP was allowed to import a vehicle without payment of customs duty & the law restricted to the transfer of an exempted vehicle within four years. But it was sold within three months of the import violating the SRO [statutory regulatory order] conditions,” reads the post.