'Both World Cup trophies cannot be replicas'

Customs officials at the airport are understandably opposed to entertain the explanation furnished by ICC officials that the World Cup trophy detained by them on April 1 was a replica, and so did not need any duty to be paid on it.



For, they believe they had already used that justification on another ocasion for another trophy, two months prior to Friday's detention drama.

Earlier this year on January 9, the International Cricket Control (ICC) which keeps a replica of the trophy with it for marketing purposes, called the perpetual trophy had sent a Cup to Mumbai with one of its delegates.

"A representative of the ICC arrived at Mumbai's Chhatrapati Shivaji International Airport with a World Cup trophy on the night of January 9, 2011, from Dubai.

The trophy, in a leather bag, was intercepted and detained by us. But it was released when a bill of entry and other relevant documents were produced," he said, adding, "The trophy's value didn't exceed Rs 10,000, as the accompanying papers showed."

The officials let the trophy pass because goods valued less than Rs 25,000 do not need to be declared and do not attract any customs duty, as per Indian aviation rules. That meant the original Cup, meant for the victors, was yet to be brought in.

On April 1

The second occasion was on April 1, a day before the final World Cup match. Customs officials again intercepted a World Cup trophy.
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This time, an Australian national Emile Felicity Waite was trying to pass through the green channel without declaring the trophy, packed in a wooden box. MiD DAY had reported about the incident on the day of the match ('World Cup trophy detained at airport', April 2).

Waite had flown into Mumbai from Colombo, a little after midnight on Friday. The Australian could not produce a bill of entry or relevant documents needed for importing the Cup. ICC Media Director for the World Cup, Colin Gibson had said that this trophy, in fact, was the perpetual one.

News reports the next day had revealed that this 11 kg trophy was valued at nearly Rs 60 lakh. Unfortunately for the ICC, the same team of officers was on night duty at the airport as the one that had intercepted the trophy earlier in the wee hours of January 9.

"Both the trophies cannot be perpetual. You cannot hoodwink the government twice," remarked one of the officers.


The victorious players with the trophy after the World Cup triumph

As high drama prevailed at the airport through the wee hours of Friday, with frantic calls exchanged and meetings called between the BCCI and the customs officers, the latter stillu00a0 refused to release the trophy, and stashed in the customs warehouse at the airport.

BCCI's two letters
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Senior customs officials told MiD DAY that two letters by the BCCI addressed to the customs nowhere say that the trophy detained on Friday was a replica.

The first letter addressed to the Customs department by a BCCI staff clearly states that the trophy was meant for the winners. However, in it's second letter, the Board changed its version by calling it a perpetual trophy.

Said a top customs official at the airport, "We are not interested in what the ICC or the BCCI is saying. As per the details available with us, there is no mention of a replica of the trophy being held at the airport.
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The cricket body has been changing its statement time and again. We don't know what they want to convey with this."

The ICC said in a statement on Monday, "The trophy seized by Mumbai customs is the promotional perpetual trophy, which remains in the keeping of ICC at its headquarters in Dubai.

It carries the generic ICC corporate logo rather than the logo specific to the 2011 event. That trophy will be reclaimed today and will travel back to Dubai with ICC staff as was always intended."

Worth

After they detained the trophy the second time last Friday, it has been lying in the customs warehouse at the airport. Customs sources reveal that it has the names of all World Cup winners since 1975 engraved on it.
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The real trophy is valued at about Rs 58 lakh, and requires a duty of about Rs 22 lakh to be paid on it.u00a0 But that has yet not been paid.