Ministry staff also quizzed in probe import of luxury cars

Ministry staff also quizzed in probe
Hamidah Atan

PUTRAJAYA:
For years they had been running the scam — allowing the import of luxury cars using fake documents and getting as much as RM5,000 per car.


Worse, they were the very people supposed to be the guardians against such unlawful transactions.

Now, at least six Customs officers, including two assistant directors, are paying the price — they are being investigated for involvement with car companies importing luxury vehicles using “cloned” Approved Permits.

The other four are rank-and-file officers. All six are based in Port Klang.

The NST has learnt that the officers had their statements recorded recently, following the seizure of two Mercedes Benz E240s from two businessmen in Serendah and Muar respectively.

Customs preventive director Adnan Ariffin confirmed that the APs for the two cars were fake.

One of the businessmen, who owns a company in Serendah, told Customs officers he bought the car from a dealer in Johor Baru early this year.

It is understood that Customs officers have also begun recording statements from several civil servants of a ministry in connection with the case.

An assistant director and two superintendents who were also based at Port Klang, were fired in 2004 for being "careless and not using their discretion at work", resulting in under-declaration of the value of imported cars.

On Monday, Customs director-general Datuk Abdul Rahman Abd Hamid said APs for imported cars must be produced within 24 hours or car companies risk having the vehicles confiscated.

This was the Customs Department’s latest move to ensure importers keep to the law and do not under-declare imported vehicles or use "cloned" APs, he said.

Rahman said the ruling was made at a State Customs directors’ meeting recently. Importers were previously allowed to take up to six months to produce APs.

For stock brought in before the National Automotive Policy was introduced, companies have until next month to produce the APs.

The Government has incurred millions in losses annually due to under-declaration of imported cars.

Rahman said the Customs would step up investigations into the involvement of civil servants and others in the fake APs racket.

He had directed his officers to investigate every case, regardless of whether it involved "small or big fish", junior or senior government officers.
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