Six customs officials face graft charges

SIX officials from the Royal Customs and Excise Department were brought before the Magistrates Court yesterday over charges of accepting bribes to ignore a fuel smuggling operation.

The defendants, Pg Ahmad Pg Hj Md Daud, Mohd Sanip Ura, Hj Mazlan Hj Shahbuddin, Mohd Mazalan Hj Sidop, Muhammad Rafi Hj Abd Rashid and Ahmad Hj Sahari, face charges under Section 6(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act (Chapter 131) and Section 165 of the Penal code (Chapter 22).

An offence under Section 6(a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act (Chapter 131) incurs a fine of $30,000 and imprisonment of seven years.

Offences under Section 165 of the Penal Code (Chapter 22), which equivocate to a government officer neglecting to perform his or her duty, carry jail terms of up to seven years and a fine for per offence.

Each of the defendants faces a charge of "neglect" for every charge of graft made against them.

The prosecution yesterday alleged that investigations carried out by the Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) revealed that Pg Ahmad Pg Hj Md Daud had accepted from Malaysian Kan Tet Hiong $100 sometime in December 2007 and RM100 (about $41 today) sometime in September 2007. The money was accepted, said the prosecution, as inducements or rewards for forbearing to take action against Kan Tet for committing an offence under the Customs Order 2006, namely fuel smuggling.

Mohd Sanip Ura was charged for accepting from Kan Tet $350 between January 12 and 13 this year and gratification in the form of sexual services from a female prostitute on January 18 this year. Hj Mazlan Hj Shahbuddin is charged with accepting $400 from Kan Tet on January 19, also to ignore the fuel smuggling.

Mohd Mazalan Hj Sidop, a Customs Examiner, faces charges of accepting from Kan Tet RM800 (about $327) sometime in 2007, $1,100 in November 2007 and $300 in May 2008 again, all relating to the same fuel smuggling operation. Muhammad Rafi Hj Abd Rashid faces charges of accepting from Kan Tet $2,600 on November 25, 2007 and RM500 (about $204) on February 25, 2008.

Ahmad Hj Sahari, a Customs Examiner, has been charged for accepting $400 from Malaysian Hiew Yen Shung on January 19 this year, and another $300 from Kan Tet sometime in December 2008. No plea was taken from any of the defendants.

The Magistrate ordered each of defendant to be released on bail of $5,000 or one local surety.

The court fixed January 13, 14, 16, 18 and 19 as the dates for further mention. The Brunei Times