KARACHI – Renowned Pakistani fashion designer Nomi Ansari has been placed on the Passport Control List (PCL) in connection with a major sales tax fraud case worth Rs1.25 billion.
The Federal Board of Revenue (FBR) filed a case in April through its Corporate Tax Office, accusing Ansari of serious financial misconduct, including under-reporting sales and violating Section 2(37) of the Sales Tax Act, 1990 — which pertains to tax fraud.
Challenging the PCL listing, Ansari has approached the Sindh High Court. His legal team argued that the inclusion violates an earlier court order which had stayed proceedings in the tax case. During a preliminary hearing on Tuesday, the court issued notices to the federal government and FBR, seeking responses by July 8, and adjourned the matter.
According to the FBR, Ansari’s fashion brand declared taxable sales without corresponding purchase records, raising concerns of tax evasion. Investigators also found evidence of significant foreign remittances and large, undocumented cash withdrawals under staff members’ names — suspected indicators of income concealment and potential money laundering.
Earlier this year, FBR secured search warrants and raided three of Ansari’s outlets along with an unregistered production unit in Mehran Town, Karachi. The raids reportedly yielded documents pointing to underreported sales volumes.
The Sindh High Court has since prohibited FBR from taking any coercive action against the designer and has summoned the Deputy Attorney General along with FBR officials to explain the basis of their actions. Ansari maintains that the case is in violation of court orders and beyond the FBR’s legal jurisdiction. Three others — Hussain Kazmi, Syed Ali Masoom Naqvi, and Imran — have also been named in the investigation.
