E Newsletter July 2012
In this Issue:
- MRA Blood Donation Campaign 2012
- MRA seizes suspected heroin worth Rs 10m
- MRA participates in MAITEX 2012
- Corporate Governance as a value driver
- DG MRA meets MP from Uganda
- Study Tour by Seychelles Revenue Commission
- Health and Fun - Football and Badminton
1. MRA Blood Donation Campaign 2012
Corporate Social Responsibility
The MRA celebrated its 8th anniversary on 02 July 2012 by organizing a Blood Donation Campaign which was held at four different locations: MRA’s Head Office (Ehram Court), Custom House, PATS and Airport. The Blood Donation Day, which was launched by the minister of Health and Quality of life, the Hon. Lormus Bundhoo, was a success, with a collection of around 575 pints of blood, amounting approximately to 5 days of blood requirement for the country.
As it has now become a tradition at the MRA, our birth anniversary, celebrating the day the Authority started its operations, is marked by the organization of a blood donation campaign. The objective is two-fold: helping the country to get the required amount of blood during the winter period which at the same time enable our employees to benefit from a free health check. Despite the cold season, some 800 volunteers came forward to donate their blood. However, some 225 persons were unable to donate their blood due to various medical reasons.
This annual event was launched officially at the MRA Head Office, Port Louis, by the Hon. Lormus Bundhoo, minister of health and quality of life, in the presence of the Chairperson, MRA Board, Mr. Vasdev Hassamal, the Director General, MRA, Mr. M. S. Lal as well as the other members of the MRA Management Team. All blood donors were offered a plant as a symbol of the importance of giving blood to save a life and also to contribute to the “Green Mauritius” project known as “Maurice Ile Durable (MID)”. Click here to view pictures from this event.
2. MRA seizes suspected heroin worth Rs 10m
The Surveillance & Enforcement / Drug Interdiction Section of the Customs Department of the Mauritius Revenue Authority (MRA) proceeded with the seizure of 649.48 grams of a brownish powder suspected to be Heroin on 18/07/12 at SSR International Airport from a passenger coming from Antananarivo. The Drugs seized were handed over to the Anti Drug and Smuggling Unit (ADSU) for further enquiry.
The Seizure was made possible through the Tracking and profiling system set up by the MRA. The suspected Heroin was concealed in three different plastic cream containers which were identified by MRA Customs officers with the help of scanners. The K-9 unit of the MRA intervened and the sniffer dog named MAX reacted positively to the suspected Heroin.
The market value of the suspected heroin is approximately Rs 9, 742, 000 and the passenger was arrested pending inquiry and prosecution by the Anti Drug and Smuggling Unit of the Police Department.
3. MRA participates in MAITEX 2012 International Trade Exposition
Empowering traders on Customs procedures
The Mauritius Revenue Authority operated a stand to provide technical assistance to Mauritian exporters and foreign buyers in terms of customs procedures and the importance of the certificates of origin during a trade exposition, MAITEX 2012, organized by Enterprise Mauritius from 5 to 8 July 2012. The trade exposition provided a platform for Mauritian manufacturers and service providers to promote their products and services to some 200 foreign buyers who attended the event. The MRA stand was a success, whereby some 100 visitors and foreign buyers received advice from MRA Officers of Customs and Taxpayer Education and Communication departments.
4. Corporate Governance as a value driver
A half–day presentation on ‘Corporate Governance as a Value Driver’ was held on Friday 20 July 2012 from 09h30 to noon on 8th Floor, Training Room, MRA Head Office, Port Louis, in collaboration with the Mauritius Institute of Directors (MIoD). Directors and Section Heads of the MRA attended the presentation made by Prof Chris Pierce, Chief Executive Officer of Global Governance Services Ltd. The Chairman, MRA Board, DG and the Legal Advisor to the MRA Board were also present during the presentation. Prof Pierce has been a leading contributor to various publications in this field and is the author of three books. His most recent publication is ‘Corporate Governance in the European Union’, published in April 2010.
5. DG MRA meets MP from Uganda
The Hon. Edward Kafufu Baliddawa met Mr Sudhamo Lal, Director General of the MRA on Wednesday 18th July 2012 whereby the director, IS Department, Mr. Soobhash Sonah, made a presentation on the e-services provided by the MRA to its stakeholders. The objective of the visit of Hon. Edward Kafufu Baliddawa was to meet key stakeholders in Mauritius who can help the Republic of Uganda implement e-Government projects. Hon. Kafufu is a member of the ICT Committee in the Parliament of Uganda and had been a key figure in supervising and monitoring the newly created Ministry of ICT. He further helped streamline the activities of the various ICT projects that had been implemented in Uganda.
6. Study Tour by Seychelles Revenue Commission
Following a request made by the Seychelles Revenue Commission, a delegation of two persons, namely Mr Andy Julie, Director Support Services and Ms Sharon, Co-ordinator Corporate Planning & Research were on study tour at the MRA from Wednesday 04 to Friday 13 July 2012. They were posted at the Internal Affairs Division of the MRA as their prime objective was to learn about the current integrity practices put in place by the MRA. The delegates were given both theoretical and practical on-the-job training in the administration of the integrity strategy of the MRA, especially the application and management of the Declaration of Assets. The attachment programme also covered, among others, the following topics: Overview of MRA Integrity strategy, Responsibilities/Powers of Internal Affairs, Complaint Handling, Investigatory Process, Declaration of Assets, Integrity Checks, Code of Conduct & Ethics, Net-Worth analysis, Disciplinary Proceedings, and Professional Interview Techniques.
(i) MRA Football Festival
As a part of the MRA’s objective to promote the welfare of its staff, a Football Festival was organized on Saturday 07 July 2012 at the St François Xavier Stadium, Port Louis. Some 150 staff from different departments of the MRA participated in the event, which started at 08 30hrs and ended at 16 30hrs. The winners of this first edition of the MRA Football Festival, are as follows:
1St Place Airport- PATS Section, Customs
2nd Place Assessment Section, Customs
3rd Place Seaport Operations Section, Customs
Fair Play Team IT CMS Section, Customs
Best Scorer Mr S.M Curumthaullee, Customs officer I, PATS Section, Customs
The official prize giving ceremony (trophies and medals) was held on Monday 09 July 2012, at the MRA Head Office, in presence of the Director General and the Management Team. In addition, 25 staff members who represented the MRA at the FMSC Football Shield Tournament were also rewarded for their achievement on that occasion.
(ii) Badminton Championship - MRA wins Gold Medal
17 MRA staff members participated in a Badminton Championship, organised by the Fédération Mauricienne de Sports Corporatifs, in July 2012. Competitions were played on two consecutive days, Friday 13 and Saturday 14 July 2012 at the Centre National de Badminton, Rose Hill.
The MRA was awarded with medals in the following categories:
Category Awards Name(s) of Participant(s)
Simple Dame Gold Medal Mrs Pamela Gladys Mootien (Customs Department)
Double Dames Bronze Medals Mrs Pamela Gladys Mootien & Mrs Marie Jennifer Joanne Zephire (Customs Department)
The MRA congratulates the winners and encourages other staff members to participate in sports activities.
