THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Alex C Joseph who had been detained under the Conservation of Foreign Exchange and Prevention of Smuggling Activities Act (COFEPOSA) was produced before a three-member advisory board of COFEPOSA, here , on Saturday. Alex C Joseph, who allegedly evaded tax amounting to Rs 500 crore while smuggling luxury cars, was arrested by the police when he alighted at an airport in Andhra Pradesh in November last year and was later handed over to the Kerala police. The Directorate of Revenue Intelligence (DRI) started investigation against him about charges of tax evasion. Alex Joseph approached the COFEPOSA board in Delhi saying that the allegations against him were fabricated and pleaded to release him from custody following which the board members came to hear his arguments. The DRI submitted evidence against Alex Joseph who is being held at the Central Prison here. DRI officials also pleaded not to release Alex from custody fearing that it would affect the investigation. Alex Joseph claimed that that the charges against him were cooked up. The decision on whether the custody of Alex Joseph should continue or not will be taken after the COFEPOSA board issues an order in this regard. It was around 9 am that Alex Joseph was produced before the board which was presided over by its chairman G S Sistani and assisted by judges Valmiki J Mehta and M L Mehta at the Customs and Central Excise headquarters here. Achuthanandan FlaysCongress LeadershipOpposition Leader V S Achuthanandan has alleged that it was the Congress leadership and CM who provided the loopholes to car smuggler Alex C Joseph to escape, after smuggling costly cars into India from abroad.
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