Committee meeting closed as minister summoned in cigarette smuggling case

The press was barred from a meeting of the Parliament’s Security Services Committee (241 Committee) on Wednesday, in which Homeland Security Minister Ali Ihusan was summoned for questioning in a recent cigarette smuggling case.

On October 25, authorities raided the K. Thilafushi boatyard of The Hawks - one of the country’s top importers and distributors of fuel. According to Maldives Customs, they seized an illegal shipment totaling 1.695 million sticks of Manchester cigarettes from one of Hawks’ ships.

The Security Services Committee held a meeting on Wednesday morning, in which it summoned Ihusan for questioning regarding the case.

Opening the sitting, the committee’s chair, Eydhafushi MP Ahmed Saleem said that both he and Ihusan want to have the meeting held behind closed doors.

Following the remark, Hanimaadhoo MP Abdul Gafoor Moosa presented a motion to have a closed-door meeting. The motion was seconded by Hulhudhoo MP Mohamed Shahid, and passed with the unanimous consensus of the committee.

In a statement on Monday, Hawks said it has suspended the employees found to have been involved in smuggling the cigarette cartons, without specifying a number. It also insisting that the company had zero involvement in the smuggling racket, and was cooperating fully with the authorities.

The Hawks is one of the country’s biggest importers and distributors of fuel. In its statement, the company said it is not involved in and nor does it have any interest in engaging in the tobacco business.