Armed Spanish Customs Agents Raid Ronaldo's Yacht

Armed customs officers are reported to have boarded Cristiano Ronaldo’s holiday yacht as part of an inspection, according to Daily Mail.

The Real Madrid star is said to have been stopped at high sea after leaving a restaurant on the paradise island of Formentera near Ibiza.  Officials are believed to have boarded the yacht  on Tuesday afternoon.

Ronaldo, 32, was reportedly on the yacht with girlfriend Georgina Rodriguez and friends and family when the officials approached the vessel on a large boat.

The routine inspection is said to have lasted around an hour and a half.

Spanish society magazine Hola, which broke the news on Wednesday, published pictures on its website of three officials boarding the yacht.

Hola reported, “A Customs camera filmed everything that happened during the inspection.

“One of Cristiano’s relatives was the person who dealt with the administrative work and showed them the documentation they asked for.

“Ronaldo stayed very calm and at no time did he get up to speak to the officials or ask about what was happening.

“He was with his girlfriend Georgina and his mother Dolores Aveiro, who he was seen chatting with inside the yacht.”

The footballer and his entourage were understood to be on their way back to Ibiza when they were stopped.

The inspection is believed to have formed part of routine checks performed on vessels in the area, related to the paperwork on board to make sure the correct taxes have been paid.

The Customs agents are understood to have left after discovering everything on board Cristiano’s yacht, named as AYa London, was in order.

Spanish Tax Agency officials are not expected to make any official comment.

A source quoted by leading Spanish daily El Mundo described the inspection as “a routine control on vessels of the type that are carried out every summer in the Balearic Islands”.

Customs agents are understood to have made their unexpected appearance just off the Formentera shoreline as Cristiano returned from a restaurant with his mother, girlfriend and children including his new surrogate twins Eva and Mateo.

Daily Trust

Senate Scraps Customs Governing Board

By  Wale Odunsi
Nigerian Senate on Wednesday passed the Repeal and Re-enactment Bill, 2017 of the Nigeria Customs Service

Management Act, ensuring that the appointment of the Comptroller-General of Nigeria Customs Service, NCS, would now be subject to its confirmation, with one renewable tenure.

The Senate also scrapped the Customs Governing Board, and replaced it with a service commission, which shall be headed by a chairman, who would be a retired career Comptroller-General or Deputy Comptroller-General, and who shall be appointed by the President for a period of four years.

The commission would be responsible for managing policies of the NCS or matters pertaining to administration, assessment, collection and accounting for revenues, as may be directed by the Minister of Finance from time to time.

The new bill also said the commission would be responsible for managing all issues relating to employment, training, welfare, and discipline of officers of the NCS, with the approval of the appropriate authority of the Federal Government.

The passage of the bill followed clause by clause debate and discussions on the report by the Senate Committee on Customs and Excise presented by the Chairman, Senator Hope Uzodinma (PDP, Imo West).

On the appointment of the C-G, section 13 of the Bill made it very clear that only a person who is serving in the Customs service would be qualified to be so appointed.

The section read in part: “The President shall appoint from the Customs Service, subject to the confirmation of the Senate, a Comptroller-General who shall be responsible for the over all management of the Customs Service.’’

“The Customs C-G shall execute the policies and decisions of the commission”.

The bill consolidates into a single reference document, the NCS legal authority, which is scattered in multiple enactment, and to bring the Customs and Excise Management Act (CEMA) 1958, in line with modern day reality and international best practices.

Chairman of the committee, Senator Hope Uzodinma (Imo West), explained that the service would also be financed from a seven percent cost of collection of import duty, excise and fees, special levies, revenues derived from assessment and collection of cost based user fees, and from budgetary provisions.

He said: “The new bill will substantially enhance revenue generation and facilitate trade through full implementation of modern customs procedures that will evolve consistent, transparent and predictable environment for international trade, in line with internally accepted norms and practices.”

Uzodinma noted that the bill would also ensure pre-shipment and post-shipment inspection at point of origin, and destination, to reduce incidence of import of dangerous items.

“It strengthens the full implementation of pre-shipment laws of the country through the provisions for screening as a prerequisite for clearing goods into the country.

‘’It will not only adds to the expedited clearing system, but also empirically improve the security of the nation by minimising the unfettered access into the country of illicit goods, prohibited narcotics, proliferation of small arms and toxic cargoes”‎, he added.

The bill also contains provisions to support the use of modern Information Technology (IT) platforms and systems, such as the use of electronic documents, signatures and electronic payment, as well as application of risk management and a host of other IT related issues.

Customs Intercepts Container Filled With Arms At Tin Can Island Port, Lagos

The Nigeria Customs Service, Tin Can Island command, on Tuesday seized a container-laden with 440 arms and ammunition of various sizes and designs.

The zonal commander, Tin can Island command, Monday Abue, while speaking after the exercise, said that the cargo was shipped from Turkey.

He disclosed that the consignment was declared as Plaster of Paris by the importer.

According to him, the container with registration number PONU 210024/1, was picked up based on intelligence report adding that investigations were ongoing to unmask the importer.

He said the pump action rifles were manufactured in the United States of America and Italy.

His words: “They are pump action rifles of various designs and also the single barrel device that you are familiar with.

“Based on intelligence report, Controller Bashar identified and intercepted the container. We discovered that they used POP to conceal the importation.

“We have arrested one defendant but due to security reasons, we don’t want to make it public for now because such information could hamper investigations which are still ongoing.”

According to the ACG, the nation had been saved from another round of problem that the rifles would have caused.

PRO of the command, Uche Eiesieme, listed the rifles seized as 100 pieces of black tornado single barrel rifles, 75 pieces of silver magnum single barrel rifles, 50 pieces of altar pump action rifles, 215 pieces of black single barrel rifles among other accessories.

By Ameh Comrade Godwin

Customs Reconstitutes Leadership, Appoint 4 DCGs, 7 ADCGs

Nigeria Customs Service has reconstituted its management and announced some key appointments.

Public Relations Officer, Joseph Attah, in a statement on Wednesday, said the service has appointed four Acting Deputy Comptroller-Generals (DCGs) and seven Acting Assistant Comptroller-Generals (ACGs) to re-engineer the management for efficient service delivery.

Attah said that the Comptroller-General of Customs, retired Col. Hameed Ali, also approved the deployment of eight Comptrollers.

He said that the new management members include Mr Alu Robert, ACG Traiff and Trade now Acting DCG Tariff and Trade; Mrs Olubiyi Ronke, ACG FATs now DCG HRD; ACG E.I.I Dangaladima Aminu now Acting DCG E.I.I; and ACG Iferi Patience SR&P now Acting DCG SR&P and ACG ExFTZ&I.I Chidi Augustine to Acting DCG ExFTZ&I.I.

Other appointments were Comptroller Investigation Hamza Ladan now Acting ACG FAT; Comptroller VAL Ekekezie Kaycee to Acting ACG T&T; Comptroller FOU Haruna Mamud to Acting ACG E.I.I; CAC ED/DT Mrs Sarki Umar now Acting ACG Ex.FTZ&I.I, and CAC Mrs Enwereuzor Francis now Acting ACG SR.

CAC FCT Dahiru Aminu was also promoted to Acting ACG Zonal Coordinator, while DCG Umar Abubakar who was formally in charge of Tariff and Trade was deployed to Finance, Administration and Technical Services.

Attah said that the customs boss has charged the appointees to bring their experiences to bear in the administration of the service.

“The modest achievements of the ongoing reform agenda in the areas of revenue generation, anti-smuggling operations and trade facilitation must be sustained and improved upon in the interest of the nation,” Attah said.

By Wale Odunsi