(1988)1988June29 (A. LOIZOU, P. J INTHEMATTEROFARTICLE 146OFTHECONSTITUTION IAKOVOS PHOTIADESFOODSTUFFSUPPLIERSLTD., Applicants, v. THEREPUBLICOFCYPRUS,THROUGH THEMINISTEROFCOMMERCEANDINDUSTRY, Respondent. (CaseNo. 280/87). Imports—TheImports (Regulation) Law,1962 (Law 49/62), asamended by Law7/67, section 3—Refusal tograntlicencefor importation offoul medamesongroundofprotectinglocalindustry—Productintendedtobepro- 5 tectedneednotbe identicalwith that, theimportationofwhichisprohibit ed—Itissufficientifthetwoareofthesamecategory. Thefactsofthiscasesufficiently appearinthejudgmentoftheCourt. Recoursedismissed. Noorderastocosts. ι Casesreferredto: Sofoclides v.TheRepublic
(1987)3C.L.R.15. Recourse. Recourseagainsttherefusal oftherespodenttograntapplicant a licencefor the importation of 700cartons of White Beans in salty waterand700cartonsofFoulMedames. 1310 3 C.L.R. Photiades Foodstuff v.Republic · ( : • • > •· > ' * r G. TriantafyllideSy for theapplicants. *" Λ Clerides, for therespondent. .1 . • .,;;; , · . • r "•• " . 5 10 15 20 25 30 ; / *•,, ί ι-• . ',» n - ' . • • > : ^ * ν r *' J '"' '•' ·'< - Cur.adv. vult. A. LOIZOUP.read thefollowingjudgment. By thepresent recourse theapplicantcompany seeksadeclaration of the Court thattheactand/ordecision of therespondentdated 27thMarch 1987 by whichhedismissed and/ordidnotapprovetheirapplica tiondated 16thMarch; 1987 for'the'issuetothemof alicencefor theimportationof seven hundredcartonsofWhite Beansin salty waterin425gr. tinsandseven hundredcartonsofFoulMedames in'397 gr. tinsis nullandvoidandwith nolegaleffect whatsoev er. · * ·' Theapplicants are acompany with"limited liability engaged, interalia, in theimportof foodstuffs. Their application for a Licencetoimporttheaforesaid goods was notapproved for thepur poseofprotectingthelocalproduction(Exhibit 1). Itappears thatfrom timeLicences for theimportationofboth tinned Beans and tinned"Foul Medames were granted. That caused protests from the'localcannerswho could not'dispose of theirFoulMedames,which wereclaimed tobeof better quality than thoseimported by theapplicantcompany. Acablefromthe Cyprus Canners Association, dated the 21st January 1987, was addressed tothe Respondent informing him that all cannersin Cyprus wereproducing suchproductsandtheywerewarmly requesting himtostop granting importlicences for FoulMedames, noting also therein that thequality and price of local foul Me dames is better and cheaper in the market. Protests"were also made by the Paphos Branch of the Farmers Association EKA stating thatthere'were 1,200 tonsof Broad Beans thatcouldnot bedisposed thusrendering theconditionof theproducers tragic. Inhiswritten address counsel for theapplicantcompanycom plains only against therefusal tograntanimportLicenceforthe 1311 . A. Loizou P. Photiades Foodstuff v. Republic
(1988)importation of the seven hundred cartons of Foul Medames. I takeitthatthepartof therelief asregardstheimportLicenceof WhiteBeansin saltywaterisabandoned.Thisisunderstandable astheapplicantcompanywasgivenaLicencefortheimportation of 1,400 cartonsoftinnedBeanson the 15thApril 1987,thatis 5 doublethequantitythan that,ithadaskedfor animportLicence onthe16thMarch,1987. Thecasefor theapplicantcompanywasarguedononeground only,namelythattherespondentactedunderamisconceptionof factintreatingtheFoulMedamesandBroadBeansasbeingone JO kind ofproduct.Granting for amoment that that is so,thereis authority thattheprotection neednotrefer toidentical products but toproducts of the same category. (Andreas Sophoclides v. TheRepublic
(1987)3C.L.R. 15atpp. 16- 17.)There is no doubt that Foul Medames are of the same category as Broad ,c Beans,theirdifference beingonlyoneofsize. The factual however position isnot so.The note of theRespondentontheapplicationoftheapplicantcompany(Exhibit1), which constitutes the reasoning for the sub -judice decision, speaksthatthelicence wasrefused forthepurposeofprotecting 20 thelocalproduction.Thisstatementhastobereadin conjunction with the cable of Cypriot Canners of such products which, as theyclaim,areofbetterqualityandpriceandtheyarecheaperin themarket.Itmayalsobenotedthatonthatcablethereisanote totheeffect thatareplyshouldbegiventothesenders informing themthatthegrantingof importLicencesofFoulMedameshad beensuspended. Inconclusion it may be noted thatthe sub-judice decision wastaken onthe basis of the Ordermadeunder s.3of theImports(Regulation) Law 1962(LawNo.49of 1962)asamended byLawNo.7of 1967,published inSupplementNo.3ofthe OfficialGazetteoftheRepublicofthe20thJanuary 1983underNotification No.7,wherebyaLicenceisrequiredfortheimportation of tinnedBeansthat fall within theCustomsClass20.02.50and tinnedFoulMedameswhichfall withinClass20.02.92;anorder 35 1312 3 C.L.R. Photiades Foodstuff v. Republic A. Loizou P. madefor thepurpose ofencouraging localproduction andmanufacture andtheotherpurposes setoutinsub-section 1 of section l 3oftheaforesaid Law. *' 5 For allthe above reasons therecourse fails andishereby dismissed withnoorderastocosts. Recourse dismissed. No orderasto cists. 1313