Committee calls for customs officers, spouses to declare assets
The resolution follows an inquiry launched by the committee into the illegal import of large quantities of cigarettes aboard a vessel owned by The Hawks.
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The Parliament’s 241 Committee on Monday approved a resolution directing the Maldives Customs Service to amend its regulations to require all Customs employees and their spouses to declare their assets.
The resolution follows an inquiry launched by the committee into the illegal import of large quantities of cigarettes aboard a vessel owned by The Hawks.
The committee’s report, which was tabled and passed in Parliament, recommends a series of reforms aimed at improving Customs oversight and accountability. One of the findings highlighted that state revenue was being reduced due to fraudulent pricing in invoices submitted to Customs, an issue the committee said had not been adequately addressed.
The committee proposed that Customs develop stronger policies to ensure that employees fulfil their duties effectively. Customs has also been instructed to submit a timeline to the committee outlining how these policies will be developed and implemented.
In addition, the committee resolved:
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To direct Customs to submit a timeline detailing efforts to ensure that personnel meet their responsibilities and to investigate and take action against any illegal conduct by staff.
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To amend the rules requiring Customs employees, their spouses, and children to declare assets.
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To establish a mechanism within Customs to review asset declaration forms and take necessary action.
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To submit a detailed timeline of these measures to the 241 Committee.
The report, finalised after nearly a year of deliberations, also identified a number of operational and security shortcomings within Customs. These include:
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Lack of live feed access for one bonded warehouse in Thiruvananthapuram.
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Difficulties faced by Customs in managing passengers and goods transported on foreign-bound vessels.
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Large vessels docking at Maldivian ports that are not equipped to handle them, with priority given to trade facilitation over security considerations.
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The absence of a 24-hour surveillance system to monitor the unloading of cargo from ships with Customs clearance.
The committee further approved a recommendation for the Maldives Police Service to investigate the non-payment of duties on the illegally imported cigarettes as a matter of urgency and to inform the committee when the case will be forwarded for prosecution.
