Seized jewellery to be auctioned

The Customs Department is holding its first ever auction sale of gold and silver jewellery which officials seized at points of entry to Malta, in the entrance hall at Customs House, Valletta, on Sunday from 10.30 a.m.

The viewing of the 94 lots which will go under the hammer will be held at the same place on Saturday from 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. and on Sunday, auction day, from 8 to 9 a.m.

Albert Rizzo will be the auctioneer.

Customs Department public relations official Alfred Cappello said such auctions used to be held by the Monte di Pietà. The organisation of the auction by the Customs Department was part of the administrative reform at the department, he said.

Mr Cappello said that sharp-eyed Customs officers at the various strategic points of entry in the country, but mainly at the airport, resulted in the apprehension of many offenders who had aimed to defraud the government of hundreds of thousands of Maltese liri.

He added that modern techniques, complemented by intelligence work, were giving the desired results in combating the illegal, undeclared importation of various gold, silver and other 'precious' items.

"Had it not been for the meticulous work by the customs officials, the local market would be otherwise flooded with underpriced items, creating a scenario of unfair trading for bona fide traders," Mr Cappello said.

The Customs officials' work over the past years at Maltese ports has yielded a large amount of gold and silver jewellery, precious stones, antique and decorative silver as well as quantities of raw silver grains.

Mr Cappello said that of special mention were sets of table cutlery, silver vases, silver and gold chalices, gold rings, earrings, pendants, bracelets and necklaces, apart from other precious jewellery worth thousands of liri.