馃嚜馃嚬EthiopiaEast Africa
Ethiopian Customs Commission proposes vehicle seizure to combat contraband trade
via The Reporter Ethiopia2 min read
Officials from the Ethiopian Customs Commission and the Ministry of Finance informed Parliament that transport service providers and vehicle owners are implicated in illicit trade. This statement was made during discussions on a proposed amendment to the Customs Proclamation, which aims to strengthen enforcement against smugglers by allowing the seizure of vehicles involved in contraband. Members of Parliament's Budget and Finance Affairs Committee expressed concerns that vehicle expropriation could infringe upon the constitutional right to property and questioned the Commission's authority to seize vehicles without the owner's knowledge. Azezew Chane, deputy head of the Customs Commission, defended confiscation as an international deterrent, stating that drivers are often used by contrabandists and lack the capacity to finance large-scale smuggling operations. Commissioner Debele Kabata added that contraband activities are driven by vehicle owners, not just drivers, citing assessments that show most vehicles caught smuggling weapons were operated under the direction of owners. Debele confirmed that over the past eight years, a rising number of smugglers, including vehicle owners working with their drivers, have been apprehended for bringing illegal goods into Ethiopia, underscoring the need for the amendment.
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This summary was AI-generated from a story originally published by The Reporter Ethiopia.
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