Pakistani businessman pleads guilty to Customs Act breaches

Forty-one year old Pakistani businessman Sohail Muhammad Siddiq today pleaded guilty to failing to declare over €300,000 when he arrived in Jamaica last month.

Siddiq is to return to the Corporate Area Resident Magistrate’s Court next week Tuesday for sentencing.

Siddiq, who is also an American citizen, arrived at the Norman Manley International Airport on September 4.

The prosecution is alleging that the accused, who resides in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, arrived on a flight from Panama with €313, 500 and US$700 in his luggage.

When asked to account for the cash Siddiq told the police that the money was to be used to buy cell phones in the island.

He was taken into custody and later charged with breaches of the Customs Act and the Proceeds of Crime Act.