Other NI News In Brief

Customs Foil Tobacco Fraud

A man has been arrested and thousands of illegal cigarettes and hand rolling tobacco, worth an estimated £9,313 in unpaid excise duty and VAT, have been seized by HM Revenue & Customs (HMRC). HMRC visited a shop in the Portadown area and seized 4,500 cigarettes and 9.2 kilos of tobacco, found in bags under the counter and in a storeroom attached to the shop. Further searches of two vehicles nearby uncovered over 30,200 cigarettes along with 1.5 kilos of hand rolling tobacco. John Whiting, Assistant Director Criminal Investigation for HMRC said: "Tobacco smuggling is organised criminality on a global scale and robs the taxpayer of millions each year in unpaid duty and VAT. Anyone with information about the storage or sale of illegal tobacco in their area should contact the Customs' hotline on 0800 59 5000," he said, adding that the man is currently being questioned by HMRC. Investigations into the cigarettes, tobacco and two vehicles seized are continuing.

Nesbitt Swings In Behind Golfers

The Ulster Unionist Economy spokesperson, Mike Nesbitt, has welcomed yet another boost for local tourism with Rory McIlroy and Graeme McDowell's third place finish at the World Cup of golf in China. With 10 million Chinese taking holidays outside of China every year, the Strangford MLA says the focus will yield considerable dividends. "China is relatively under-developed in terms of golf courses, and a recent briefing from the Chinese Consul in Edinburgh confirmed that it unlikely to change, as they need all the land they have for agriculture. So, those newly rich Chinese who want to explore a passion for golf need to travel, and while the USA and Scotland are the obvious destinations, the continuing efforts of Rory and Graeme are fast making Northern Ireland a third destination of choice," he said, adding: "I look forward to helping connect the Darren Clarke School with the relevant Chinese authorities, and thank our World Cup heroes for their efforts this weekend."

Oil Payment Error Slammed

The Alliance Enterprise spokesperson Trevor Lunn MLA has backed the Consumer Council call for Maxol to pay any bank charges caused when it mistakenly charged customers double the amount they should have. Maxol have already said that they will refund its customers the amount that they mistakenly charged. "I was glad that they swiftly reacted to the mistake and agreed to refund any amount that they overcharged, but this overcharging could have resulted in overdraft bank fees being given to people through no fault of their own," he said.

(BMcC/GK)