Illegally obtained alcohol found at Villa resorts: Customs

Maldives Customs Service has said that large amounts of illegally obtained alcohol were found during government raids at Villa’s resorts.

Police and Custom officials searched the resorts on Wednesday and Thursday on allegations that it had illegally obtained alcohol from the Customs bonded warehouse.

The court order authorizing the search on Sun Island Resort said that it was being searched under suspicion that the alcoholic beverages taken to Royal Island Resort from the Customs Bonded Warehouse was being distributed to other resorts associated with it.

Four of the searched resorts were banned from selling alcohol in March 22 last year for neglecting to pay fines to Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA). They are Paradise Island Resort, Sun Island Resort, Fun Island Resort and Holiday Island Resort.

While Customs has said that only it is allowed to distribute alcohol, Villa’s lawyer Safa Shareef said companies that receive alcohol from Customs are also allowed to distribute to other companies which have liquor licenses.

Villa Group’s lawyer Safa Shareef said that Custom’s allegations against them are unlawful and that they had followed all rules and regulations in taking the beverages from Royal Island Resort to other resorts.

She said, according to local laws, one can move liquor from one property licensed to sell to another.

She said that none of the liquor taken to Royal are then distributed to the other resorts, after registering them at Royal and completing all necessary procedures.

Officials who conducted the search did not confiscate anything from resorts.

Some have accused the government of trying to intimidate Villa’s founder Qasim Ibrahim, who is the leader of opposition Jumhoree Party (JP).