New Malaysia Customs head takes aim at corruption

 Newly-appointed Customs director-general Datuk T. Subromaniam has pledged to tackle corruption within the department’s ranks and will beef up efforts against smuggling.
new customs head takes aim at corruption nation the star online

“We have declared war on smugglers,” he said at his first press conference as Customs chief.

Towards that end, the department would be arming its border officers by next week, said Subromaniam, who took over from Datuk Seri Khazali Ahmad last week.

“At present, only officers who are handling imports and exports are stationed at the border gates. When those at the border spot something untoward, they will contact the enforcement officers who are the ones carrying firearms.

“Why should the officers with firearms be elsewhere in some office? They should be right there at the borders so that they can catch the smugglers on the spot.

Subromaniam said the department monitors more than 150 border points, which includes main entry points such as airports and harbours, as well as jetties and small landing areas.

He also said that under the National Blue Ocean Strategy, the department would collaborate with other enforcement agencies, such as navy, police, maritime enforcement, and the Immigration Department to strengthen its border control.

On tackling corruption, Subromaniam said that while most of his officers were clean, it cannot be denied that there were a few corrupt ones.

He said all 14,000 Customs officers were required to sign an anti-corruption pledge, which means they were obliged to report incidents of graft.

He said the department would launch a “Corruption Risk Management” tool to identify “areas which were high risk and prone to leakages or abuse of power”.

“The tool was developed with the help of the Malaysian Anti-Corruption Commission. We identify procedural weaknesses and strengthened these areas. It will be launched in June and hopefully it will be a game-changer in Customs administration,” he said.

The department will also be going all out after cigarette smugglers, setting itself a target of reducing the number of contraband cigarettes in the domestic market by 50% over the next three years.

“Contraband cigarettes are the commodity that is most-smuggled in the country and the Customs Department seized cigarettes worth RM648,917,373 in tax value last year. This is a huge increase from 2015’s RM315,433,119,” he said.

Source: thestar.com

Related News

Customs sector collects over VND384 trillion in revenue

Customs sector collects over VND384 trillion in revenue

VCN - By the end of November, the Customs revenue exceeded the estimate by 2.6% and increased by 14.8% compared to the same period in 2023, the General Department of Vietnam Customs released on December 11.
Preliminary assessment of Vietnam international merchandise trade performance in the second half of October, 2024

Preliminary assessment of Vietnam international merchandise trade performance in the second half of October, 2024

The Vietnam Customs Statistics announced that in the second half of October, 2024 the total Vietnam’s exports of US dollars 19.39 billion and imports of nearly US dollars 17.63 billion resulted in a trade surplus of US dollars 1.76 billion. Accordingly, the total value of export and import turnover of Vietnam in the second half of October was over US dollars 37.02 billion, up by 16% as compared to the first half of October-2024. Furthermore, in the first 10 months of 2024, Vietnam was in trade surplus of USD 23.35 billion.
Share experiences in crime prevention coordination between Customs and Police

Share experiences in crime prevention coordination between Customs and Police

VCN - On December 6, 2024, the General Department of Customs and the People's Police Academy co-organized the scientific workshop "Improving the effectiveness of coordination between the People's Police force and the Customs force in the fight against smuggling, trade fraud, and drugs at border gates and border areas in the new situation".

Latest News

Dutch customs seize 1,575 kilograms of cocaine at Vlissingen Port

Dutch customs seize 1,575 kilograms of cocaine at Vlissingen Port

Dutch customs authorities have seized approximately 1,575 kilograms of cocaine, valued at an estimated 118 million euros, at the port of Vlissingen, located at the mouth of the Scheldt River.
Taiwan-Canada customs agreement signed - Taipei Times

Taiwan-Canada customs agreement signed - Taipei Times

Taiwan is Canada’s sixth-largest trading partner in Asia, so facilitated customs clearances at borders would bring substantial benefits to both countries.
Sabah Customs foils bid to smuggle 3,000 cartons of liquor

Sabah Customs foils bid to smuggle 3,000 cartons of liquor

VCN - Sabah Customs has foiled a syndicate's attempt to smuggle 3,000 cartons of liquor by declaring them as canned food.
The Philippines Pioneers Corruption Risk Mapping to Strengthen Integrity and Trade Facilitation in Customs

The Philippines Pioneers Corruption Risk Mapping to Strengthen Integrity and Trade Facilitation in Customs

VCN - The Bureau of Customs of The Philippines (BOC) has taken a groundbreaking step towards enhancing transparency and accountability by implementing an innovative approach to corruption risk mapping with support from the World Customs Organization (WCO)

More News

US customs clamps down on vague cargo descriptions

US customs clamps down on vague cargo descriptions

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is clamping down on the use of vague descriptions of shipments submitted through the Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS).
Uzbekistan Signs Customs Agreement With U.S.

Uzbekistan Signs Customs Agreement With U.S.

VCN - The heads of the Uzbek and American customs services have signed an agreement “On Cooperation and Mutual Assistance,” an essential legal basis of cooperation in customs. The deal was signed in a bilateral meeting between the Chairman of the Uzbekistan’s Customs Committee, Akmalkhuja Mavlonov, and the Commissioner of the U.S. Customs Border Service, Troy Miller.
Hong Kong customs seizes B42.5m of smuggled platinum, its largest haul in 20 years

Hong Kong customs seizes B42.5m of smuggled platinum, its largest haul in 20 years

VCN - Hong Kong customs has claimed its biggest haul of smuggled platinum in two decades, seizing HKcopy0 million (42.5 million baht) worth of the metal hidden in a battery box at the bottom of a Shenzhen-bound truck.
Customs Affairs conducts training programme for OFOQ2 Single Window System

Customs Affairs conducts training programme for OFOQ2 Single Window System

Manama, Aug. 14 (BNA): The Customs Affairs has completed a training programme for users of the Customs Single Window (OFOQ2) system, including competent authorities and customs clearance offices. The training was conducted by Customs Affairs trainers with the participation of specialists from various customs directorates.
Abu Dhabi Customs equips sea customs centres with five advanced inspection devices

Abu Dhabi Customs equips sea customs centres with five advanced inspection devices

VCN - The General Administration of Abu Dhabi Customs has completed a project to equip its sea customs centers with advanced inspection devices as part of its ongoing efforts to enhance the efficiency of customs operations across the border ports of Abu Dhabi.
Customs rules get stringent at Singapore

Customs rules get stringent at Singapore

VCN - The FTZ regulations require cargo interests to submit import cargo information on long-haul trades 12 hours prior to each vessel’s arrival at berth in Singapore Port and for short-haul trades
Sabah Customs seizes over RM600,000 worth of drugs

Sabah Customs seizes over RM600,000 worth of drugs

VCN - A teenager was among two suspected drug mules nabbed with over 20kg of drugs valued at around RM667,729.44 from two airports in the state recently.
Hong Kong customs to use AI to check 6,000 digital images in seconds for crime-fighting boost

Hong Kong customs to use AI to check 6,000 digital images in seconds for crime-fighting boost

Hong Kong customs will establish a new artificial intelligence (AI) system that can process up to an hour of surveillance camera footage or about 6,000 images within seconds to crack down on crimes involving digital evidence.
Hong Kong customs seizes HK$5.8 million of heroin hidden among durians

Hong Kong customs seizes HK$5.8 million of heroin hidden among durians

Officers also arrested three men, aged between 25 and 53, in connection with the trafficking of the substance.
Read More

Your care

Latest Most read
Dutch customs seize 1,575 kilograms of cocaine at Vlissingen Port

Dutch customs seize 1,575 kilograms of cocaine at Vlissingen Port

Dutch customs authorities have seized approximately 1,575 kilograms of cocaine, valued at an estimated 118 million euros, at the port of Vlissingen, located at the mouth of the Scheldt River.
Taiwan-Canada customs agreement signed - Taipei Times

Taiwan-Canada customs agreement signed - Taipei Times

Taiwan is Canada’s sixth-largest trading partner in Asia, so facilitated customs clearances at borders would bring substantial benefits to both countries.
Sabah Customs foils bid to smuggle 3,000 cartons of liquor

Sabah Customs foils bid to smuggle 3,000 cartons of liquor

VCN - Sabah Customs has foiled a syndicate's attempt to smuggle 3,000 cartons of liquor by declaring them as canned food.
The Philippines Pioneers Corruption Risk Mapping to Strengthen Integrity and Trade Facilitation in Customs

The Philippines Pioneers Corruption Risk Mapping to Strengthen Integrity and Trade Facilitation in Customs

VCN - The Bureau of Customs of The Philippines (BOC) has taken a groundbreaking step towards enhancing transparency and accountability by implementing an innovative approach to corruption risk mapping with support from the World Customs Organization (WCO)
US customs clamps down on vague cargo descriptions

US customs clamps down on vague cargo descriptions

US Customs and Border Protection (CBP) is clamping down on the use of vague descriptions of shipments submitted through the Air Cargo Advance Screening (ACAS).
Mobile Version