Villa Group says liquor bottles confiscated unlawfully, files case against Customs
Customs, along with MIRA and 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 filed a case against the Maldives Customs Service (MCS) at the Criminal Court, alleging that they had violated the Court’s order to search the group’s resorts.
In a joint operation with Maldives Customs Service and Maldives Inland Revenue Authority (MIRA), Maldives Police Service (MPS) searched the five resorts owned by the now opposition leader Qasim Ibrahim, under a court order on Wednesday evening, 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.
Customs has since said that ‘large amounts of illegally obtained alcohol were found’ in the raid.
Some of the ‘illegally obtained liquor’ were confiscated from Fun Island Resort, and the resort’s staff have been barred from touching some items in its stock.
Noting that Villa Group has filed a case against the Maldives Customs Service, its attorney Hussain Shameem said that they have requested the Court to review the case, on the terms that authorities had ‘abused’ the court order.
He said that Customs officers had confiscated two cases of liquor bottles, despite the court order not authorizing it.
Shameem called this ‘looting,’ adding that authorities had violated Article 46 of the Penal Code.
“Liquor at Fun Island was obtained legally and paid for by Villa. Criminal court order does not authorize Police or Customs to confiscate it. Preventing confiscation is permitted by penal code under section 46,” added Shameem via twitter on Saturday.
