Saudi diplomat detained at Islamabad Airport carrying cash over $5,000

ISLAMABAD: A Saudi official was denied entry because he had cash more than $5,000 in foreign currency at Islamabad International Airport.

According to sources close to the Customs Collectorate Islamabad, the incident occurred on May 29, 2024, when a Saudi diplomat flew on Saudi flight No. SV-725 to Riyadh presented a letter from the Embassy claiming that he was carrying SAR 958,125/-because he had sold his vehicle.

In a letter sent by the Director of Protocol and Public Relations, the Embassy asked for leniency in this matter and made it clear that the diplomat made the request for the letter to be sent and that the embassy bore no legal or administrative obligation in this regard.

He was kindly advised that he may only carry foreign currency up to US$ 5,000 in value due to State Bank regulations by the Attaché and Protocol Officer of the Embassy.

He was asked to return the extra cash to the Embassy employees because it was against central bank standards for him to carry that much cash.

The Attaché insisted that the money he had received was from the sale of his car, which he planned to take with him, thus he refused to return the currency.

He did not return the currency to the Embassy employees despite numerous demands from the Attaché and the PRO of the Embassy, and as a result, the airline refused to let him board.

According to sources, the incident report was also sent to the member customs operations FBR by Customs Collectorate Islamabad for informational purposes.