The Ministry of Public Administration has taken custody of 30 luxury Pajero vehicles worth about Tk 400 crore that were imported under duty-free privileges in the names of several fugitive former ministers and MPs of the Awami League. The vehicles, which had been stuck for one and a half years in the car shed of Chattogram Port, were transported to Dhaka on Friday morning with approval from the National Board of Revenue (NBR). Earlier, the cars had been put up for auction but failed to attract expected bids. According to customs sources, the vehicles were imported after the 2024 dummy election by at least 40 former MPs and ministers using duty-free facilities. Most of the cars remained unclaimed amid the quota reform movement, leading to their seizure by customs. Attempts to auction them failed due to alleged manipulation by a syndicate offering unrealistically low bids. The government then decided to allocate the cars for official use through the transport pool after resolving legal complications. Officials said the decision prevents national assets from being wasted, while future claimants may still retrieve the vehicles by paying full duties. Business representatives welcomed the move but suggested reforming the auction process to ensure fair competition and revenue collection.