Mozambique: Customs seize 36 cement containers for lack of documentation

Login

Register

http://www.clubofmozambique.com/

Mozambique: Customs seize 36 cement containers for lack of documentation

1:54 CAT | 05 Jun 2018

Photo: Notícias

Mozambique customs authorities last Saturday seized 36 containers believed to contain 28,800 bags of cement from South Africa. Customs suspect that the product, owned by the Kawena company, has arrived in Mozambique fraudulently.

“When the locomotive arrived at Ressano Garcia, the goods were not accompanied by the documents that are normally required in this type of foreign trade processes. They should have presented us with the bill of purchase of the merchandise, the shipping note which is equivalent to the cargo manifest, among other documents required by law. What we are saying is that the merchandise has arrived without any document, which makes us suspect that we are facing a fraud case until they prove otherwise,” Fernando Tinga, representative of the Customs General Directorate said. “We had to seize the material for further examination, because the law provides for such situations.”

The official also said that Customs have already contacted the owners of the company so they can clarify the irregularities. “This morning we were presented with some documents that are still under investigation to verify their truthfulness and only then can we be satisfied,” he added.

And because all the containers have not been opened, it is suspected there may be other products in them. “We did a preliminary search and found cement, but only once the process will we conclude that is all there is,” he said.

State could collect more than four million meticais in custom taxes

According to the authorities, the material was transported from the border and sent to Machava railway station, where unloading started.

The cement is valued at 1.5 million Rand, and the Mozambican state could benefit by about 4-5 million meticais in customs duties and other taxes.

Tinga says the fact that the company started unloading the goods without the presence of customs officials exacerbated their suspicions.

Source: Notícias