Company ordered to pay MVR 20mn for illegal removal of cigarette shipments

The Civil Court has ordered a private company to pay over MVR 20 million in two weeks for secretly removing shipments of cigarettes from a bonded warehouse.

The case stems from shipments of cigarettes imported by SGM back in 2018.

The company was accused of secretly removing some 1,000 box cartons of cigarettes it imported between April and June of 2018 from the Customs’ bonded warehouse, without paying MVR 20.72 million in import duty.

Customs filed a lawsuit against SGM this year, seeking to recover the unpaid import duty.

The agency asked for the company to be ordered to pay the money in lump sum.

The court had been unable to serve SGM with papers via its registered address. And the company had not responded to the public announcement by the court.

The case was therefore heard in absence of representatives from SGM.

The company was ordered to pay the MVR 20.72 million within 14 days.