YEMEN - Over 1,200 pending cases at the Customs Authority were released this week, said the newly appointed Chairman of the Customs Authority Mohammed Zemam. This coincided with the Customs World Day, January 26th.

This will boost business and investment in the country, as a result of facilitating the customs process for the oil and investing companies working in the country.

The 1,200 cases belong to different oil companies, and other investing companies working in Yemen.

Zemam said that most of the pending cases were a result of contradictions between the customs laws and between the agreements signed by the oil ministry with the oil companies. “A team from the Custom’s Authority worked from Monday 18 through Wednesday 20, 2010 to finalize the pending cases based on the signed agreements,” said Zemam. “I’m not the implementer of those concessions, I’m part of the Yemen System to implement it, so the lead of implementing it is for the Ministry of Oil. I’m following their guidance ... Continued on page 3

because they are the ones that prepared the agreement, negotiate it and signed it and present it to the cabinet ministers and to the parliament.

Some of the released cases were pending since last April 2009. Zemam said that all they wanted to release these cases was a letter from the ministry of oil that indicates that the vehicles or equipment are exempted of tariffs.

“There were a kind of mistrust between the Customs Authority and between the oil companies but now this mistrust is removed,” said Zemam.

Zemam promised that no more delay for the cases of the oil companies or investing companies would happen any more. He said that the customs authority is preparing to transfers from the ASKODA++ system to SKODA Word. “We will install the new system in all companies, embassies and corporations.

“By June 2010 all the work of the customs authority will be fully computerized particularly the work that is connected with the big companies, international organizations and embassies, “said Zemam. He added that it was difficult to make the whole work computerized because many traders and individuals still do not have computers.

Mr. Zemam said that they will have a meeting with the different oil companies to discuss the new mechanisms and to reach to a system that satisfies both sides.

The customs authority officers are to visit the different companies and institutions on April.

The customs authority collected YR 56 billion in 2009 and a total of 136 taxes and customs tariffs in 2009.

ZImam further said that the Customs authority is to hold a meeting commemorating the Customs World Day on January 26 in Movenpick hotel in Sana’a. This meeting comes within the customs authority’s policy for insuring partnership with the private sector (Customs-Business Partnership) with the theme of customs and business improving performance through partnership. This includes demonstrating and promoting a policy of openness, and to encourage exchange of ideas between customs administrations and private sector stakeholders.