CIL hits back at Cdedi over tax evasion claims
Cigarette manufacturing firm Credible Investments Limited (CIL) has refuted allegations that it sells expired, illegal and counterfeit products, evades taxes and employs illegal immigrants.
The Centre for Democracy and Economic Development Initiatives (Cdedi) made the allegations at a press conference in Lilongwe last week.
In a press statement signed by its managing director Abbas Nasser, the company said it was aware about an incident of counterfeit Caesar Cigarettes products around last year but denied being behind the production.
“Sometime in September 2023 our attention was brought to the presence of counterfeit products on the market being sold without MBS’s pre-certified labelling and expiry dates.
“In addition to taking appropriate steps to apprehend the culprits, we immediately alerted MBS and shared with them relevant information and our concerns,” the company said.
CIL accused Cdedi of “choosing to withhold this information from the public and to, instead, falsely allege that it is our company distributing counterfeit products in competition with our own genuine Caesar Cigarettes.”
On employment of illegal immigrants, the company said an inspection recently carried out by the Immigration Department following “Cdedi’s false allegations verified and cleared our company of any wrongdoing.”
CIL said that its products are certified by the Malawi Bureau of Standards.
“They continuously monitor and inspect our factory and products in accordance with their regulatory mandate,” the managing director said.
CIL’s parent company is registered in the Republic of South Africa and also supplies Caesar Cigarettes to countries including Zambia, Mozambique, South Africa and the DRC.
