The Guyana Revenue Authority (GRA) has been taken to court by Fidelity Investment Inc over a probe by Customs officials which raised questions about the origin of a large amount of polar beer.
Following visits to three Fidelity locations on Wednesday, lawyers for the company moved to the courts the same day and secured an order nisi of certiorari directed to the Commissioner General of the GRA to show cause why his decision to seal a bond at Broad Street should not be quashed, an order nisi of prohibition directed to the Commissioner General to show cause why he should not be prohibited from sealing, seizing or interfering with the beverages and a writ of prohibition directed to the Commissioner General of the GRA to show cause why any decision to institute prosecution should not be halted until the hearing and determination of the matter.
The orders were obtained following an ex parte application by attorney Hukumchand before Justice Jainarayan Singh Jr.
Sources say that on Wednesday at around 11.20 am a team headed by Ramnarine Makardajh, Director of the Enforcement Section arrived at Fidelity Investment Inc at Broad and Charles streets. They were subsequently taken to a bond where they requested registers, customs declarations and other materials. At around 11.45 am the Director of Enforcement instructed several officers to proceed to the company’s head office at 121 Regent and Oronoque streets to uplift other documents. An inventory of the beverages at the Charles and Broad streets bond was ordered and another inventory was also ordered of a bond at Ruimzigt.
Sources say that the inventory revealed a current stock of 14,000 cases of Polar Ice Beer, 38,000 cases of tinned Polar Beer, 19, 110 cases of bottled Polar Beer and 1,300 cases of Polar Maltin.
This information was cross-checked with the GRA’s Total Revenue Integrated Processing System and this led to the determination that there were possible inconsistencies. As a result, the Director of Enforcement instructed that two Fidelity trucks which contained beverages and the beverages from other parts be secured in Fidelity’s cargo bond. Enforcement officers were then assigned to secure the area.
The enforcement officers then proceeded to take statements and made efforts to locate additional documents. Fidelity later moved to the courts.
