Fathimath Dhiyana has been appointed as the new Commissioner General of Customs.
Former Commissioner Yoosuf Maniu was unaware of his dismissal when the appointment was made on Monday afternoon. When contacted by Adhadhu for clarification, Maniu said he has not been informed of his dismissal.
"I haven't heard anything like that from the President yet," Maniu said on the phone.
The President's Office said President Dr. Mohamed Muizzu exercised his powers under the Customs Act to appoint Dhiyana as Commissioner General. Maniu has been transferred as a state minister at the Home Ministry, the President's Office said.
Maniu's dismissal came after several of his remarks as head of customs drew widespread criticism.
Appearing before the Parliament's National Security Committee recently, Maniu said Customs wanted to destroy seized drugs within 24 hours without handing them over to the police.
Maniu also noted border control challenges at the committee meeting. Customs does not have the full capacity at present to monitor the country's borders or inspect foreign vessels that arrive in the Maldives, he told MPs.
"In addition to that, we're bringing drones from America, too. We're bringing drones from China as well. We need drones. What happens is that we don't have any way to monitor vessels that come from abroad," Maniu said.
