Luxury Cars of 30 Former MPs, Brought in Duty-Free, to be Auctioned

Abdullah Mazumder

Chittagong Bureau    |    ০৬:৫৮ পিএম, ২০২৫-০১-১৯

Chattogram Customs House is set to auction luxury cars that were brought in with duty-free privileges by 30 former Members of Parliament. The tender for the auction is scheduled to be published on January 21. However, according to regulations, a notice is given to the importers to clear the cars with duty before the auction. So far, no response has been received from them. These cars were imported under duty-free privileges when the individuals were MPs. However, with the dissolution of Parliament, they could not avail themselves of those privileges.

Sources from Chattogram Customs House have revealed that after pressure from the Naval Adviser to clear the shed at the port, Customs authorities took action. Following an inventory of 103 vehicles, including those of the 30 former MPs, Customs issued notices to the importers. Of these, 31 cars were cleared by the importers after paying the customs duties. Finally, 72 cars, including the 30 MP cars, were sent to the customs valuation section after inventorying.

Regarding this, Assistant Commissioner of the Customs Auction Section, Sakib Hossain, said, "A total of 72 cars, including those of the 30 MPs, have been sent to the valuation section for price determination. Once the prices are set, the tender for the auction will be released on January 21."

After the auction process began for the cars left at the port, importers hurriedly cleared 31 cars by paying the customs duties. However, none of the former MPs have yet cleared their cars.

Explaining the reasons for the delays in clearing the cars, Habibur Rahman Khan, Vice President of the Bangladesh Reconditioned Vehicles Importers and Dealers Association (BARVIDA), said, "Sometimes cars arrive, but the paperwork does not arrive on time. Additionally, customs clearance can take time once the documents are available. These are the main reasons for the delay in clearing the vehicles. Once everything is in order, importers pay the fines and taxes and take the cars."

According to sources at Chattogram Customs House, after pressure from the Naval Adviser to clear the shed at the port, Customs authorities took action. After inventorying the 103 vehicles, including those of the 30 former MPs, Customs issued notices to the importers. Of these, 31 cars were cleared by paying customs duties. Eventually, 72 cars, including those of the MPs, were sent for price determination in the customs valuation section.

Chattogram Customs House Auction Business Welfare Association General Secretary, Md. Ayakub Chowdhury, said, "Due to paperwork issues, importers often face delays in clearing the cars. In some cases, they also encounter complications with legal matters, further delaying the clearance process."