The New Nation - Internet Edition

Chittagong Correspondent

Agents of the influential business house - Abul Khair Group - are reportedly out to influence the results of the laboratory tests of the rotten-suspect milk powder that is now under detention at Chittagong maritime port.

Authorities concerned had been working on the process of legal action and drafting of the show cause notices to be served upon the importer and the pre-shipment inspection (PSI) company Bureau Veritas later today.

The audit, investigation and research (AIR) wing of the customs on Thursday last detained 450 metric tons of milk powder worth Taka 1258 million at the middle of the clearing process.

Customs officials sealed all 18 containers full of milk powder and declined processing the release of the consignment suspecting the milk lot unfit for human consumption.

Missing of mandatory information like manufacturing and expiry dates, country of origin and gross mismatch between shipping statements rather made the speculation of the customs people stronger. The subsequent physical inspection reports of the consignment also went against the importer and the pre-shipment inspection (PSI) company where investigators gave opinion for laboratory tests and stern action for breaking the import laws.

It was alleged that the wealthier business group had skipped legal action in several cases of similar nature in the past. This time the company reportedly engaged lobbyists and agents to take the rotten-suspect milk powder out of the port by influencing the laboratory reports in its favour.

An informed official of the AIR wing of the Customs said that the importer had already admitted its guilt in writing. "Our doubt on the quality of the milk powder has already been proved to some extent following confession of guilt by the importer," he commented requesting anonymity.

A senior official said that it would be ridiculous to believe that Australia, the country of origin of the milk, would have sent the consignment violating the universal code of foodstuff production and export.

Labels containing dates of manufacturing and consumption before and the country of origin were deliberately wiped out from the bags containing 25 kilograms of milk powder each. Scratching marks on the place of the labels are the evidences of the importer's ill motive.

He raised question why then the milk powder was shipped to Chittagong from a Malaysian port instead of Australian port particularly in the absence of transshipment records.

Some of the business leaders here in the port city dubbed the move of feeding people the rotten-milk an unpardonable offence and demanded stern legal action against the people involved in the process.

Recalling the repeated misdeeds of the so-called Pre-Shipment Inspection (PSI) companies the business leaders said that they (PSI companies) had been sucking blood of the nation by approving these heinous moves.