Madagascar - Illegal Issues of Postage Stamps

Dear Sir/Madam

The postal administration of MADAGASCAR asks me to inform you that it has information about the circulation on the international market of an illegal issue of postage stamps purporting to be issued by the PAOSITRA MALAGASY.

The characteristics of this issue are as follows:

A perforated miniature sheet and an imperforate miniature sheet, bearing at the bottom of the sheet the inscription "Millenium – Concorde 2000 – 30e anniversaire" and consisting of nine postage stamps, each with a value of 2000 Fmg, 400 ARIARY. Each postage stamp shows different views of the "Concorde" aircraft and the inscriptions "REPOBLIKAN’I MADAGASIKARA" and "Paositra 1999". These two inscriptions are not positioned in the same way on all the postage stamps. In addition, the postage stamp on top at the right also has the word "MILLENIUM" in capital letters.

As these postage stamps have not received the approval of the postal administration of Madagascar, they have been issued in violation of the provisions of the Universal Postal Convention and its Letter Post Regulations. Consequently, they are regarded as null and void and may not be accepted as a means of postal prepayment.

The postal administration of Madagascar would be grateful for any information which would lead to identifying the person responsible for these illegal issues.

Yours faithfully,

K J S McKEOWN

Director of Communication and Postal Markets

More information about the illegal issues can be obtained directly from the UPU, Mrs. Maria Libera.