No goods have been brought in illegally: Customs

Maldives Customs has denied accusations that permission was granted illegally to bring in a spy plane, a racing car and a projector to the Maldives.

Maldives Customs said that no car or plane was allowed into the country without completing the relevant Customs procedures.

They said that Customs recently allowed the import of a small plane and a racing car, for which permission had been granted by the relevant government authorities.

Maldives Customs further said that customs duty was excused on a projector imported for the opening ceremony of Olympus following a request by the government, and that the president has the power to do so under the Import Export Act.

Speaking at today’s sitting of the parliament, Dhaandhoo MP Mohamed Riyaz said that a small spy plane and a race car have been imported via Customs for which no documentation exists.

He said that such items cannot be brought into the country without the authorisation of the relevant government institutions, and that Maldivians are likely to have been involved in this operation.

He went on to make accusations and say that the permit to bring in those items was signed by Fazeel Mohamed on behalf of MPL and Mohamed Haneef on behalf of Customs.

He said that the projector for which customs duty was excused was worth $127,000, and that the request was made by Cabinet Secretary Abdullah Nazeer in a letter sent to the Minister of Finance.