Maldives Customs has published a list of 680 individuals and companies that failed to pay import duties and penalties on Saturday, with Sultans of the Seas leading the list, owing MVR 110.2 million.
The tourism services company, registered under Ali Ahmed, Mohamed Adil, and Imran Ali, was ordered by the court to make the payments after being found guilty of deliberately misrepresenting the value of two imported speedboats.
In 2020, the Supreme Court overturned a previous High Court ruling and ordered the company to pay the State MVR 110 million, concluding that it had committed fraud in connection with the import of two luxury yachts. The company allegedly concealed the brand, model, and price of the yachts, falsely declaring them as secondhand. The fraud was uncovered during an audit of the company’s import documents.
The second-largest defaulter, Ashraf Rasheed, faces fines of MVR 72.2 million for importing vape products.
According to Customs, most defaulters were penalised for illegal imports of tobacco and vape products, with 72 entities owing over MVR 1 million each.
The list was released under new Customs regulations implemented on 16 October, which require public disclosure of unpaid import duties and fines every two months.
