Customs work receives international recognition

The Maltese Customs have been awarded certificates of merit by the World Customs Organisation in recognition of their "outstanding" achievements last year.

Speaking during a press conference at the Customs head office in Valletta yesterday, Parliamentary Secretary Tony Abela said that among last year's major seizures were ten 40-foot containers full of counterfeit cigarettes.

"In this regard, Malta ranked fourth among a list featuring the new EU member states according to which country seized the greatest number of cigarettes," Dr Abela said, quoting data issued by the European Anti-Fraud Office (OLAF), Investigations and Operations (Customs).

"If one takes into account the number of counterfeit cigarettes seized in proportion to the population, by far Malta surpassed other EU members states," Dr Abela said.

Besides counterfeit clothing bearing famous brand names, shoes, Rolex watches, Montblanc ballpens, DVDs, PlayStations and auto parts, the Customs also seized 10 kilos of cannabis meant for the local market.

The units within Customs that received WCO certification were the verification, intelligence, enforcement, computerisation and monitoring sections. Some of the units target particular shipments for documentary or physical inspection. Others, such as the intelligence unit, target specific imports and passengers and disseminate information to other authorities such as the police and government departments.

"The enforcement unit, on the other hand, is an amalgamation of the former anti-fraud and anti-drugs units," Dr Abela said. Last year, the enforcement unit detected a huge amount of duty-free diesel that was being used illegally. The monitoring unit, based at the Malta Freeport, monitors containers during transhipment, thanks to a scanner donated by the US government.

The computerisation unit is responsible for running a networking system that connects the entire European Union.

Customs director John Mifsud said Malta's EU membership had greatly affected Customs. "Besides serving its duty on a local level as it had been doing, as from May 1 the Maltese Customs became part of the EU Customs Union and the external border of the EU Customs territory," Mr Mifsud said.

This meant that whatever passed through Maltese borders would freely move through the European Union, "which is why the responsibilities of Customs widened so much on accession", he said. The department has to ensure that on importation, Customs, agricultural and anti-dumping duties are collected.

Mr Mifsud explained that the department has also to collect VAT on imports and excise while, at the same time, pursue its fight against fraud. This is "a tall order" that requires changes in the organisational structure.

"We are focusing a lot on training our personnel. This is the key to making matters as simple as possible to importers while keeping our eyes open to foul play," Mr Mifsud said.