Customs Deputy Commissioners fired based on "Confidential Sections" of 241 Committee report on cigarette smuggling

The Parliamentary National Security Services Committee (241 Committee)today stated that the dismissal of two Deputy Commissioners of Customs, in relation to their suspected assistance in the illegal smuggling of cigarettes into the Maldives, was based on "confidential sections" contained within the Committee's report.

The two officials dismissed from the post of Deputy Commissioner, out of the four existing Deputy Commissioners, were Mahmood Riyaaz and Abdulla Waheed. The dismissal was enacted by President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu using the powers vested in the President under the Customs Act.

President Muizzu stated that the action was taken after reviewing the information and recommendations provided in the letter sent by the Parliament Secretariat. This letter was related to two cases:

Although the report compiled by 241 Committee on this issue was publicly released, it included a "confidential section." Consequently, the confidential details were shared only with President Muizzu.

"The confidential section shared with the President includes the actions taken by these officials and their names. The President would have seen all the wrongdoings from that document. The investigation details are included," said a senior member of 241 Committee.

Additionally, the President instructed Customs to investigate three other Customs employees and take necessary action against them, in accordance with the institution's procedures.

According to the Customs Act, the authority to investigate and take action against individual officers rests with Customs itself.

"Because the President does not have that authority, the power to take action against the other individuals mentioned in the report was delegated to the Customs leadership. He instructed that the matter be handled in that manner," the Committee member explained.

The Committee member also stated that in-depth investigative reports by various parliamentary committees on major issues often contain confidential information shared only with the President.

The report released last week by the Parliamentary Committee on National Security and Foreign Relations highlighted that negligence and corruption within Customs were leading to the erosion of border security and a decline in state revenue collected through Customs. The report had set a specific deadline for the institution to rectify these issues.