Customs-shipping graft in MACC radar
By Ee Ann Nee, Malay Mail
PETALING JAYA: Allegations of bribery practices between freight forwarders and Royal Customs Department officials are among the issues which are being investigated by the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission (MACC) in its ongoing nationwide crackdown on the department.
The bribery practices, which industry sources claim date back around 20 to 30 years, involve mostly rank-and-file Customs staff.
MACC investigations director Datuk Mustafar Ali (pic), responding to a query by The Malay Mail, confirmed the bribery and corruption practices were among the issues being probed by the agency in its ongoing operation, dubbed Operation 3B.
He, however, declined to divulge further details on the matter.
Customs director-general Datuk Seri Mohamed Khalid Yusuf has since maintained the department has never condoned such practices and urged those with information to lodge a report with the authorities.
Meanwhile, the Peninsular Malaysia Customs Union this morning said it would meet with MACC tomorrow to address issues pertaining to the crackdown as well as the death of Selangor Customs assistant director Ahmad Sarbani Mohamed who was believed to have died from a fall at the Federal Territory MACC building in Jalan Cochrane last Thursday.
Industry sources said the practice of bribery among freight forwarders in relation to Customs officers was a longstanding one.
“It’s a standard routine among freight forwarders everywhere, whether in Port Klang, KLIA or Penang. There are about 10,000 freight forwarders in the country and all of them, whether local or international, practise the same thing when importing goods into Malaysia,” said a source.
One freight forwarder, who has been in the industry for 20 years, claimed freight forwarders were “compelled” to pay about RM300 to RM400 every month to each of the officers involved in the clearance process as a way to speed up the shipments.
“Priority is given to one’s goods when you bribe. Officers also ‘close one eye’ to some of the problems.
“For example, a consignment that has a tax rate of 10 per cent may be categorised using a tax code of five per cent instead. Also, if there happens to be 110 items instead of the declared 100 items, these may be permitted to pass.”
Another industry source claimed each Customs officer could have around five to six companies under his or her care, giving them an extra undeclared RM2,000 income every month.
“Smaller freight forwarders ‘take care’ of one Customs officer while some forwarders ‘take care’ of three to four officers. When there’s money involved, goods can be moved within one day. If not, forwarders have to wait four to five days or even a week to collect their shipments, along with many other complications.”
The source claimed Customs officers did not demand under-thetable money upfront, but would wait for forwarders to approach them by giving them problems with the clearance. Hence, freight forwarders were indirectly forced to succumb to graft and payment was always through cash, delivered by hand.
“The RM400 covers about 100 shipments and forwarders usually park them under ‘entertainment fees’. It’s not a hefty sum, but rather that’s the standard amount.”
It is alleged the entire clearance process for imported goods would involve two to three officers for each forwarder, while bigger freight forwarders would probably be dealing with 10 to 12 officers to clear the larger amount of imported goods.
While cash was given to rank-and-file Customs officers, sources claimed top-level officers also received some of the bribes in different forms like free overseas trips, petrol vouchers and meals.
