No law, no means: Maldives may be unable to police flow of restricted goods to Russia

**Maldives Investigating Alleged Transit of Restricted Goods to Russia**

*Malé, Maldives – 24 September 2024* – The Maldivian government has announced an investigation into reports that Western‑origin goods, including microchips, aircraft parts and optical instruments, may be transiting through Velana International Airport to Russia. The inquiry follows a Wall Street Journal (WSJ) investigation that described the Maldives as a “secret route” for sanctioned Russian companies to acquire dual‑use technology.

### Government response

Chief Government Spokesman Mohamed Hussain Shareef “Mundhu” told reporters at an informal briefing on Saturday that authorities are “establishing the accuracy of the WSJ report” and that any action would depend on the findings. He expressed doubts about the capacity of Maldives Customs to inspect transit cargo, asking, “For example, how would we know what kind of chip is inside this phone?” He denied claims that Western officials had pressured the Maldives to shut down the transit route and said the country works closely with international security agencies.

The Maldives Foreign Ministry and the Maldives Airports Company Ltd (MACL), the state‑owned operator of Velana International Airport, have not yet responded to requests for comment. MACL, which earns handling fees and fuel margins on airport traffic, reported a record 126 tonnes of freight in a single day in July.

### Russian embassy statement

A Russian embassy official in Colombo declined to comment on the WSJ findings. The embassy said Russia considers anti‑Russian sanctions illegitimate and that, under international law, sanctions can only be imposed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC). The official added that in the absence of a UNSC sanctions regime, unilateral measures adopted by individual states do not carry automatic force in Maldivian law, which appears to require UNSC designations for freezing assets or restricting trade. However, states are required to establish controls on the transit of dual‑use goods that could contribute to weapons proliferation.

### Background of the allegations

The WSJ investigation, based on air waybills, cargo manifests and logistics company emails, identified a pattern in which a daily Aeroflot flight lands in Malé every morning. Local middlemen reportedly clear U.S., European and Chinese goods through customs, after which the Aeroflot aircraft departs for Moscow’s Sheremetyevo airport about two hours later. Customs officials reportedly only check paperwork because the goods never formally enter the country. The investigation noted that the original seller’s name is omitted from a new waybill issued in the Maldives.

The goods allegedly routed through the Maldives include semiconductors with both civilian and missile‑guidance applications, aircraft parts, aerospace fasteners and optical instruments used in satellites. Some of the Western goods are said to reach sanctioned Russian entities, including the country’s largest domestic airline.

### Previous incidents

In May 2023, the U.S. Bureau of Industry and Security suspended the export privileges of Intermodal Maldives, a local freight forwarder that was registered weeks after Russia’s invasion of Ukraine in February 2022. Between May and October 2022, Intermodal routed 212 consignments of mostly aircraft parts to Russia, which was not the destination on export control documents, according to the BIS.

Nikkei Asia reported in July 2023 that about 400,000 U.S. semiconductors had been shipped to Russia through the Maldives in the year after the war began. The volume was second only to China. The value of U.S. $53.6 million for the chips represented a fifth of the Maldives’ total merchandise exports in 2021. Shipments rose sharply after Aeroflot resumed direct flights from Moscow, Nikkei Asia found.

### Companies named in the WSJ report

The WSJ named two Maldivian companies, Freight Care and Go Investment, as handling the paperwork. Freight Care’s managing director, Hussain Waheed, acknowledged handling transit cargo to Russia but denied knowingly shipping anything weapons‑related, stating, “We do not support any war.” WSJ found no trace of Freight Care at either registered address, both in office buildings flanking the Aeroflot office. The address for Go Investment was an electronics shop shared with several other registered companies.

A senior official at Go Investment told the Maldives Independent that the company only runs an electronics shop and imports goods for sale in the country. He said the company does not hold a cargo or logistics licence and could not have moved a transit consignment through the airport. “How can it be done without a licence or permit or anything?” he asked. He added that the company’s name may have been used on airway bills without its knowledge because its information was publicly available. When the company learned last year of goods brought into the country under its name, it reported the matter to MACL, which said

Article and image source: maldivesindependent.com