Customs releases Heavy Load excavators without payment of duty

Maldives Customs Services has released five excavators belonging to Heavy Load, a private limited company owned by Moosa “Reeko” Manik, the Interim Chairperson of the ruling Maldivian Democratic Party (MDP), before the duties for these vehicles were paid.

Information about the release of the said excavators to Reeko started to spread via SMS as a rumor, but later an official from the Maldives Customs Services affirmed it to Sun. The excavators hitherto kept in Customs bonded warehouse were released, according to the official who spoke on behalf of Customs, because they were immediately needed for carrying out some works in Addu City for the upcoming SAARC Summit.

Customs official stated that the vehicles were released on condition that their duty should be paid within 48 hours, and that failure to comply with the condition would result in appropriate actions. These actions would include blacklisting of Heavy Load and lawsuits.

The official from Customs declined to give details of the duty charged from Heavy Load for the vehicles. However, he stated that such release without the payment of duties was not uncommon, and that in accordance with the law, it had been done before. The official declined to name any parties to whom goods had been previously released without payment of duties.

According to Customs Act, the Maldives Customs Services is entitled to withhold any goods until duty on them is paid in full.