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The Parliament’s National Security Services Committee (241 Committee) has ordered the Maldives Customs Service to take corrective action after uncovering extensive internal failings, corruption, and weak border monitoring that have led to declining state revenue.
The findings were detailed in a report adopted by Parliament on Sunday, following an almost year-long inquiry into the illegal smuggling of cigarettes on board a fuel tanker owned by The Hawks. The report also outlined broader institutional shortcomings and issued several directives to Customs and the Home Ministry, which oversees the agency.
Issues related to officers
According to the report, customs revenue has dropped due to negligence and corrupt practices, including officers accepting fraudulent invoices and undervaluing imported goods.
Home Minister Ali Ihusan told the committee that suspiciously large sums had been found in the bank accounts of several Customs officers, with MVR 400 million circulating through the accounts of 21 employees.
Police informed the committee that 23 Customs staff are currently under investigation, including four employees accused of receiving unusually large transfers.
However, police also noted that the investigations have faced significant delays and could not provide a completion date.
Institutional failures
The committee identified several systemic problems within Customs, including:
- Customs not receiving camera feeds from one of two bonded warehouses in Thilafushi.
- Failure to adequately check passengers boarding or disembarking ships from abroad.
- Weak enforcement of border surveillance and insufficient 24-hour monitoring when unloading goods at ports.
- Oversized ships being allowed to dock and unload goods without proper checks.
- The trade facilitation policy being prioritised over national security concerns.
These failures, the committee said, have allowed smuggling and misconduct to continue unchecked.
Orders and recommendations
In response, the 241 Committee issued several instructions to Customs and the Home Ministry:
- Develop and submit a timeline for establishing a stronger policy framework to ensure Customs fulfils its legal responsibilities.
- Take stricter measures against officers violating the law and strengthen internal oversight.
- Amend regulations to require Customs employees, their spouses, and children to declare their assets, in order to curb illegal enrichment.
- The Home Ministry to share with Parliament a timeline and implementation plan to strengthen accountability, improve regulations, and raise the overall quality of Customs services.
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