Supreme court orders seizure of R2 million from Iranian dhow |27 November 2021

The Supreme Court of Seychelles on Thursday November 25, ordered the forfeiture of the entire sum of foreign currency amounting to R2,213,892.50 (two million, two hundred and thirteen thousand, eight hundred and ninety two and fifty cents), found onboard an Iranian dhow intercepted in Seychelles waters earlier this month.

Justice Mohan Burhan in making his ruling noted that the ‘Al Shaheen’ Iranian dhow vessel was intercepted by the Seychelles Coast Guard on November 5, 2021, after being suspected of carrying illicit substances and possibly illegitimate cash. Upon searching the vessel, officers of the Anti-Narcotics Bureau (ANB), Financial Crimes Intelligence Unit (FCIU) and other police support units discovered “large amounts of cash in red packaging”, precisely USD ($) 154,050 and Euros (€)5000, the total value of which amounts to the total forfeited sum. Several packets of controlled drugs were also seized.

As per Justice Burhan, there are reasonable grounds for suspecting that the money “directly or indirectly represents benefit from an offence in respect of controlled drugs,or was intended for use in connection with such an offence”.

Laura Pillay