Chattogram customs auctions 24 duty-free cars imported by former MPs, drawing 137 bids

Chattogram Customs yesterday auctioned 24 vehicles previously imported under duty-free facilities by former members of parliament (MPs), with duties added before the sale. 

An additional 20 cars brought in at different times were also included in the auction, attracting 137 bids in total.

A total of 32 individuals and organizations, including KDS Garments Industries Limited, LabAid Limited, and Vanguard Garments Limited, participated in the auction alongside regular bidders.

According to customs sources, 26 Japanese-made Land Cruisers were part of the auction, which began online on 27 January. Among them, 24 belonged to former MPs and were of the 2024 model, while the remaining two were imported earlier.

Other vehicles in the auction included: five Toyota Harriers, two Toyota RAV4s, one Toyota Esquire, 10 Chinese-made Sino heavy-duty dump trucks.

Bids were submitted for 14 vehicles, including the Land Cruiser ZX models of former MPs, each with a reserve price of Tk9.67 crore. In total, 137 bidders expressed interest in this year's auction.

Chattogram Customs confirmed that SA Trading & Company bid for six vehicles, KDS Garments Industries Limited for five, and Farzana Trading for four. 

Other participants included Chattogram Custom Bidders Association General Secretary Mohammad Ayakub Chowdhury, Mohsin Mohammad Kabir, and SM Arif (two cars each)

Vanguard Garments Limited, LabAid Limited, Radiant Business Consortium Limited, Concord Pragati Consortium, A.E. Construction Limited, Croydon-Kowloon Design Limited, Aerowing Aviation Limited, Tarasima Apparels Limited, Easy Services Limited, Mercus Al-Jazeera Trading, and Faraz Abdur Rahim (one car each).

Md Shakib Hossain, assistant commissioner of the Auction Branch at Chattogram Custom House, noted the significant interest from bidders. "We have seen considerable participation in the car auction, including bids on the vehicles brought by former MPs. However, other vehicles have drawn more attention. Sunday was the final day for bid submissions. The tender box will be opened on Monday at 2pm, after which we will verify the bids and announce the winners," he said.

Md. Ibrahim, proprietor of SA Trading & Company, said, "There is substantial interest in the former MPs' cars. Many buyers have reached out to us. However, we cannot purchase them at 60 percent of the reserved price. This time, we are bidding at a lower price to prepare for future auctions where we might secure the cars at a slightly higher rate."

The vehicles became subject to auction after their clearance was stalled following the end of the Awami League government on 5 August. On 21 August, Chattogram Customs sought guidance from the National Board of Revenue (NBR) regarding the clearance of these vehicles. 

In response, the NBR instructed that the cars could only be released if normal customs duties were paid. Importers were given a 15-day deadline to comply, which passed without action, leading to the decision to auction the vehicles.