Eastern Alexandria investigations continue into the importation of a shipment of bad wheat from Ukraine and Australia of 11 thousand tons by a company. Al-Masry Al-Youm received information on facts that reveal what began in December last year of the arrival of a shipment of wheat from Ukraine and Australia, amounting to 11 thousand tons, to the vessels port of Abu Qir east of Alexandria by Egyptian Traders Company, under the certificate No. 9695, customs cargo tons of 5445, and certificate No. 9594 with a payload of 5500 tons and certificate No. 8919 with 4549 tons - this amount has been disbursed and only 60 tons remain. The report issued with the shipment by the control authorities over the export and import cargo says that they conform to the specifications, are fit for human consumption and that all customs duties have been paid. Even though the report outlined this, one of the regulatory agencies requested the need to take samples of the wheat before its release.
It was a surprise after the samples of the Ministry of Health confirmed that the wheat was unfit for human consumption, and 3 cases of fraud charges were issued by the Food Control authority under the Ministry of Health. It was referred to the Public Prosecution, which ordered the execution of the full amount of the non-compliant wheat. The Egyptian Traders Company appealed the decision to the District Attorney, which issued its decision to form a committee of the Faculty of Agriculture, Alexandria University, to examine the shipment and report on the extent of its validity for human consumption.
The report of the Committee showed that the shipment is safe and fit for human consumption, but recommended vaporization and sifting. The Prosecution ordered the maintenance of records of the prosecution of fraud against the company and to give back the delivery to its owner after its sifting and vaporization, the approval by security authorities and after the case has returned back to the District. In May, the owners of the cargo said that the vaporization and sifting processes of the quantity of wheat amounted to 5500 tons with the elimination of all impurities. They asked them to permit the prosecution of the receipt and exit from the Customs Service. The Chief of Detectives came forward to the prosecution record to take the samples of wheat, which was sifted before its release to ensure its validity. A committee was formed of the Food Control Department of Health in Alexandria, Plant Quarantine and Investigation of Public Funds and Investigation of Supply, in the presence of the representative of the matter. Samples were taken from different sifted wheat which was then sent to the laboratories of the Ministry of Health. The surprise came in a report last week of the samples which indicated that the shipment is unfit for human consumption. Meanwhile, Al-Masry Al-Youm received the documents referring to the reservation of twenty-two thousand tons of Ukrainian wheat in the port of Alexandria since last October, as they contain live insects and are unfit for human consumption. The shipment arrived at the port on October 10th on the Royal Crown ship coming from the Ukraine for the Egyptian Traders Company, and it was released from customs with a certificate of release on October 12. The shipment obtained a release from the control of exports and imports after two days.
On the first of December last year the Food Control of the Ministry of Health took samples from different locations of the released cargo which was of the amount of twenty thousand tons. Three days later the report of the Ministry of Health laboratories revealed they were unfit for human consumption due to the presence of live insects. Control was carried out to the letter and they were put under legal custody within the Customs Service at the General Company for Silos with the appointment of a guard for fear of manipulation of the shipment. And thus was issued the offense No. 22 for the year 2009; the Public Prosecutor's decision was the formation of a committee of the Faculty of Agriculture to re-examine and report on it. The report of the Committee agreed with the report of the Health laboratories, and recommended the release of the shipment subject to the completion of vaporization and sifting to eliminate the insects in them. Following the beginning of the vaporization process the Committee found that there was no potential to the company of silos to do a sifting owing to renovations it was going through and changes in the system of filters. A record of the incident was made to prove the case and it was decided that there was no way to end the process of sifting except through the transfer of cargo outside the Customs Service, which was accompanied for fear of leakage due to the lack of market control. The letter of the General Company for Silos and Storage, which was sent to the owners of the cargo on May 12 last year, showed it abandoned its responsibility in ensuring that the wheat was damaged due to the length of storage and the delay in the completion of the procedures. The letter put the responsibility of the damages on the cells in the storage company.
