A Karachi customs court has sentenced a Canadian passport holder to a total of eight years’ imprisonment after convicting him on two counts of attempting to smuggle foreign currency out of Pakistan.
Special Judge Dr Shaban Waheed sentenced Raheel Dhannani to five years and three years in prison under separate provisions of the Customs Act.
According to state prosecutor Naimatullah Soomro, Dhannani was travelling with his family from Karachi to Vancouver via Bangkok on January 24, 2023, when customs officials asked whether he was carrying any foreign currency. Prosecutors said he replied that he was not.
A subsequent search of his luggage allegedly led to the recovery of US$111,400 and C$31,425.
The defence argued that customs authorities failed to follow due process, contending that officials did not provide a currency declaration form, produce CCTV footage, involve independent witnesses or place on record any written refusal by the accused.
Defence counsel also maintained that Dhannani was intercepted before completing departure formalities and had not crossed the stage at which he could no longer lawfully declare the currency.