Mohammad Suman

Date prices have remained relatively stable this year compared to previous years, thanks to the govt's duty waiver and a decline in int'l market prices

Around 200,000 tonnes of imported goods, stuffed in 9,644 containers, have been abandoned at Chattogram port for years – occupying 18 percent of its capacity, as customs officials point the finger at lengthy auction processes for the backlog.

Chattogram-based Especia International Trading received the delivery of a 10-tonne cardamom consignment in mid-January. The trader declared the import price at $7.5 per kilogramme.

The Chattogram Custom House has auctioned off 14-year-old sodium glycerolate, which is used in cosmetics and pharmaceutical products, without conducting any quality assessment to determine its usability, raising concerns about potential health risks.

Former education minister Mohibul Hassan Chowdhoury Nowfel received at least Tk 3 crore from a tobacco company, known for years for illegal cigarette production and marketing including some counterfeit foreign brands.

Most of the cargo that arrived from Karachi contained industrial raw materials, including soda ash, dolomite, limestone, chemicals, onion, fabrics and potatoes

On May 20, 2024, Chattogram Custom House Deputy Commissioner Mohammad Zakaria was in Kolkata, India, where he had gone for treatment a week earlier.

An inability to open letters of credit (LCs) since the political changeover on August 5 has resulted in the closure of at least seven enterprises owned by the S Alam Group, including its sugar and edible oil refineries and steel factory.

A year on, Karnaphuli tunnel losing over Tk 27 lakh a day

At least six tax officials, including the then tax commissioner, were involved in extending undue favour to two sons of controversial businessman Mohammed Saiful Alam to legalise undisclosed money worth Tk 500 crore, an investigation by the tax intelligence has found.

The Tejgaon Egg Merchants’ Association, which delivers about 15 percent of the daily supply of 1 crore eggs in the capital, stopped sales from Sunday night claiming it was to avoid harassment by the government authorities.

Ten companies of S Alam Group have been ordered to pay Tk 1,414 crore of unpaid value-added tax (VAT) they allegedly “evaded” in the past two years.

The prices of rice, eggs, broiler chicken, soybean oil, palm oil, sugar and vegetables have increased significantly in Dhaka due to a supply shortage and incessant rain.

S Alam Group owner Mohammed Saiful Alam’s 2022-2023 tax file is a puzzle. In that tax year, he declared personal assets worth Tk 2,532 crore, but did not show any personal bank loans from Bangladesh or his foreign income.

Ashraful Alam and Asadul Alam Mahir, two sons of controversial businessman Mohammed Saiful Alam, deprived the state of Tk 75 crore in taxes by legalising Tk 500 crore in undisclosed income, documents obtained by The Daily Star have revealed.

A cybercriminal gang attempted to release a container of liquor worth Tk 14 crore from Chattogram Port after breaching the National Board of Revenue’s server using login credentials of two customs officials.

The Chattogram Customs Bond Commissionerate has sought Tk 246.26 crore in unpaid duties from the S Alam Refined Sugar Industry against the import of 60,500 tonnes of sugar.

The Chattogram port has been hit by container congestion again as daily deliveries have slowed in the amid of flash floods, which caused disruptions along the Dhaka-Chattogram Highway since Thursday.

Transport activities through the Dhaka-Chattogram highway partially resumed yesterday after a three-day disruption due to flash floods.

Transport activities, including movement of imported goods and those meant for exports, have been halted since Thursday as the Dhaka-Chattogram highway, the lifeline of the country’s economy, has been submerged by flash floods brought on by heavy rainfall and the rush of water from upstream.