Maldives Customs Service to function under Ministry of Home Affairs

Government has transferred the Maldives Customs Service to the authority of Ministry of Home Affairs, starting last week.

Commissioner General of Customs Mohamed Aswan told Sun today that they received a directive to transfer Customs, which had been functioning under Ministry Finance and Treasury, to the Home Ministry, starting last week.

“Customs Act requires the service to be under a minister, in order (for the service) to be accountable to the president and the parliament. Finance Minister has been in-charge for this very long period. But we’ve now been notified of the transfer, which was made after discussion within the cabinet,” he said.

However, he is not aware of the reason for the transfer, Aswan said.

Article 3 (c) of the Customs Act states that the Maldives Customs Service shall be conducted under the supervision of a Cabinet Minister designated by the President. It also grants certain powers to the Minister in charge, such as the prerogative to select and declare ports as Maldives national ports and to determine policies related to Customs. It also allows the Minister to determine regulations, principles and policies to ensure the progress of the service and to issue the necessary orders and take necessary steps to the service's progress.

The Commissioner General of Customs is tasked with the day to day functioning of the department and holds the responsibility to further ensure that the service fulfills its objective.