MIRA denies taking part in resort raid, Villa Group to file case against the authority
Police searched Villa Group's five resorts on Wednesday night
Customs, along with police and MIRA, searched Villa Group's five resorts on Wednesday night
Villa Group has said that it will file a case against Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA), after MIRA joined the Custom’s search operation without the proper approvals on Wednesday night.
Noting that officials from MIRA had joined the joint operation conducted by Maldives Customs Service and Maldives Police Service (MPS), Villa Group’s general manager Qaisar Naseem said that officials from MIRA did not have the permission to go on the resorts.
Hence, Naseem said that they will be filing a case against MIRA at the Civil Court.
He added that MIRA’s officials were not allowed to take part in the search as they did not have the authorization to do so, but that they were present at the resort at the time of the operation.
However, MIRA denied taking part in the search operation.
Police said that they were merely assisting the Maldives Customs Service’s operation on the five resorts.
In a joint operation with Maldives Customs Service and Maldives Inland Revenue Authority, Maldives Police Service searched the five resorts owned by Jumhooree Party leader Qasim Ibrahim, under a court order on Wednesday night, on the grounds that alcoholic beverages licensed for one of said resorts was carried over and sold at another. The resorts are searched were; Sun Island Resort, Paradise Island Resort, Holiday Island Resort, Royal Island Resort and Fun Island Resort. An additional search was conducted on Paradise Island, Sun Island and Royal Island Resorts on Thursday as well.
