PM orders action against individuals involved in over-invoicing

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday directed authorities to take immediate legal action against all individuals involved in illegal over-invoicing, signalling a firm, zero-tolerance stance against financial misconduct. During a weekly review meeting on the affairs of Federal Board of Revenue (FBR), the prime minister expressed serious concern that the illegal over-invoicing racket had continued unchecked from 2017 to 2022, with key institutions repeatedly failing in their duty to prevent it. He directed the authorities to identify all the officials responsible for misconduct or negligence and to ensure that legal and departmental proceedings are carried out without delay. READ MORE: Tax evasion intolerable, says FBR chief Sharif commended the report on over-invoicing, prepared by the committee headed by Mushtaq Sukhera, a retired police officer, and emphasised the need for accountability. “Tax money is a trust of the nation; safeguarding it is our duty, and we are accountable for every single penny,” he said, directing officials to develop a comprehensive strategy to prevent such abuses in the future. Over-invoicing in imports and exports has long been a major challenge for successive governments, with importers deliberately inflating the declared value of goods to move money abroad illegally or evade taxes, causing significant losses to the national exchequer. The prime minister further ordered that the Financial Monitoring Unit (FMU) be fully activated, with representatives from the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA) and Intelligence Bureau (IB) incorporated to strengthen oversight. In a briefing, officials informed the meeting that the FBR had developed a Centralised Price Verification Portal, which is expected to be fully integrated with banks by the end of June. The Post Clearance Audit Wing of the FBR had identified the over-invoicing scheme in October 2022, they added. To date, they added, 13 First Information Reports (FIRs) have been registered against those involved, with legal proceedings ongoing. The meeting was attended by Minister for Climate Change Musadik Malik, Economic Affairs Minister Ahad Cheema, Information Minister Attaullah Tarar, Attorney General for Pakistan Mansoor Awan, Minister of State for Finance Bilal Azhar Kayani, FBR Chairman Rashid Langrial, and other senior officials. Copyright Business Recorder, 2026

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