Islamabad: The Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) has summoned the owner, director, managing director, proprietor or concerned office bearer of M/s Yasmeen Noor Edible Oils Pvt Ltd in connection with a criminal inquiry into alleged tax evasion involving imported materials worth Rs1.12 trillion in tax-exempt areas of FATA, PATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
According to a call-up notice dated September 3, 2026, issued by the FIA Anti-Corruption Circle Islamabad, Criminal Enquiry No. 153/2026 was registered on August 20, 2026, following directions conveyed by the Senate Sub-Committee on Interior and Narcotics Control, Ministry of Interior, Government of Pakistan.The notice states that the inquiry relates to the alleged misuse of tax exemptions available in former FATA/PATA areas and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa in connection with imported materials. A Joint Enquiry Team has been constituted to investigate the matter and ascertain the facts and circumstances on their merits.
The company management has been directed to appear before the Joint Enquiry Team at the FIA Islamabad Zone on September 10, 2026, at 10:00am. The FIA has sought extensive corporate, financial, import, production and taxation records from the company. Among the documents demanded are records concerning the establishment and incorporation of the factory, registration certificates, details of directors or proprietors, parent and subsidiary companies, branch offices, construction and completion dates, machinery and equipment installed at the factory, paid government taxes, factory area, number of employees and salary records.
The agency has also sought detailed information about the factory’s production capacity, electricity and gas connections and landline facilities. Regarding imported material, the FIA has directed the company to provide monthly, GD-wise details of all imported materials since the factory’s inception. The requested information includes the amounts paid abroad for imported goods, bank statements of all company accounts, including active and dormant accounts, the company’s financial worth and details of letters of credit and payments made for imports.
The notice also asks for information concerning any payments allegedly made through Hawala or Hundi, pay orders and post-dated cheques submitted to Pakistan Customs against individual Goods Declarations. The company has further been asked to provide transportation records showing the movement of imported material from the port to the factory site on a GD-wise basis. The Joint Enquiry Team has also sought month-wise production figures, sales records, electricity and other utility bills, details of locally purchased raw materials, employee information and salary payments. In relation to the sale of material, the FIA has demanded bank statements of all company accounts, details of buyers and transactions with buyers, as well as documents submitted to Inland Revenue for the issuance of consumption certificates.
The company has also been directed to provide relevant documents concerning the release of pay orders, copies of consumption certificates issued by Inland Revenue and certified copies of related documents maintained by the tax authorities. The tax-related portion of the notice seeks details of taxes paid against production, sales made outside tax-exempt areas, monthly details of released pay orders, copies of audit reports, where available, and all relevant tax returns. The FIA has instructed the company to ensure that all records are complete, authentic and properly arranged, and to produce original documents whenever required by the Joint Enquiry Team. The notice further states that if any requested record is unavailable or was not maintained, the company must submit a written explanation giving the reasons for its non-availability to the inquiry team at the time of appearance. The Joint Enquiry Team comprises Muhammad Afzal Khan Niazi, Deputy Director FIA; Min Faizan Ul Haq, Deputy Director FIA Anti-Corruption Circle; and Inspector/Investigation Officer Fahbem Mustafa Raja.
The notice was issued under Section 160 of the Code of Criminal Procedure. It warns that failure to comply with the call-up notice would be dealt with under the relevant legal provisions, including Section 174 of the Pakistan Penal Code. The inquiry appears to be examining whether tax exemptions available in designated areas were properly utilised and whether imported materials were subsequently diverted, sold or otherwise dealt with in a manner that resulted in loss of government revenue. However, the notice itself is a call-up and document-production notice and does not establish criminal liability or wrongdoing by M/s Yasmeen Noor Edible Oils Pvt Ltd. The development comes amid a broader investigation into alleged tax-related irregularities involving imported materials in tax-exempt areas of FATA/PATA and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, with the FIA seeking detailed records from businesses to establish the actual flow of imported goods, payments, production, sales and tax treatment. Meanwhile, sources familiar with the development said that the persons summoned by the FIA have decided to hold a press conference to present their position on the inquiry and respond to the allegations and issues raised in the call-up notices. The summoned parties are expected to explain their position regarding the import of materials, utilisation of tax exemptions and the records sought by the FIA Joint Enquiry Team. Sources further claimed that the Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) has declined to extend cooperation to the FIA in connection with the inquiry. The reported lack of cooperation between the two federal institutions could further complicate the investigation,
particularly because a significant portion of the records and information sought by the FIA relates to taxation, customs documentation, consumption certificates, tax returns and the movement of goods in and out of tax-exempt areas.
The decision of the summoned persons to address the media is expected to bring further public attention to the Rs1.12 trillion tax-evasion inquiry and could also shed light on the alleged differences between the FIA and FBR over the investigation.
