ISLAMABAD - Mumtaz Haider Rizvi, a BPS-22 officer of Secretariat Group, on Wednesday relinquished the charge of the post of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) chairman, just 20 days before his retirement, allegedly due to the FBR’s Rs 47 billion tax evasion scam involving five cellular companies. He is replaced by Ali Arshad Hakeem, former Nadra chairman.
Sources informed TheNation Rizvi would retire on August 2 after reaching the age of 60 and it was expected that he would retire as chairman FBR. However, he, unexpectedly, relinquished the charge just 20 days before the age of his retirement.
A FBR notification said Rizvi relinquished charge with effect from 11-07-2012 (Wednesday), while the government on Tuesday had appointed Ali Arshad Hakeem as new the FBR chairman.
It is pertinent to mention that the FBR is holding a departmental inquiry into Rs 47 billion tax evasion scam involving five cellular companies, ostensibly to get off the hook of National Accountability Bureau (NAB), which had traced the scam and barred the FBR from granting what they termed unjust relief to these telecom companies.
NAB Chairman Admiral (r) Fasih Bokhari had taken notice of the matter and summoned the FBR head to explain the position, but instead, he sent a team of senior officials who attempted to hoodwink the NAB officials. However, the officials in the Financial Crimes Investigation Wing forced them to accept the flaws and lacunas in the whole exercise.
Sources further said Bokhari was quite annoyed over the way FBR chairman had tackled the issue; however, but Rizvi later appeared in person before the NAB officials after receiving a caution call from the former.
According to sources, Rizvi was facing pressure from different quarters over the subject.
The new FBR chairman FBR, Ali Arshad Hakeem, has served as the chief of Nadra since August 12, 2008. He is an officer from the 17th Commons Group and has worked at the Central Board of Revenue (currently the FBR). He has also worked at business process outsourcing operations and computerisation of land record and customs procedure automation.