The MACC froze bank accounts involving RM4 million, confiscated 10 luxury cars, a shophouse, a large amount of high-quality liquor which are worth RM3 million in total. It was also found that the state director has seven houses. The huge amount involved and unscrupulous acts have shocked the country.
The syndicate had started to abuse the PKFZ facilities since 2011 and did not report liquor and cigarettes involving RM1.2 billion, causing the government to suffer RM3.6 billion of levy revenue loss. These companies alone have caused a great loss to the government and if a greater number of companies are involved in tax evasion, the loss will sure be tremendous. Tax evasion involves only loss in money but if criminal syndicates make use of the negligence or bribe the officers to smuggle prohibited items or arms, it will bring a greater harm to the country and the people.
The collective practice of bribery involving even a state director showed that the group of people had covered for each other. The task force led by the MACC had carefully planned and investigated for three years, with a year observing the luxurious life of a number of suspects that was inconsistent with their incomes. Obviously, the syndicates had operated for a long period of time and the government must severely punish those involved in the breach of overseeing responsibility.
With the assistance of the police, Attorney-General's Office, the Inland Revenue Board, Suruhanjaya Syarikat Malaysia (SSM) and other units, the MACC collected evidence and made the great achievement. We hope that the MACC will keep the effort up and continue in solving more cases to establish prestige, while deterring law enforcement officers from breaking the law.
For Customs officers with greed and evil intentions, the Customs Department is indeed "lucrative". Their authorities is able to bring them wealth and together with poor regulations, it is easy for them to succumb to the lure of large sum of money. The suspects have more or less left traces in their daily lives, with one of them actually had more than RM1 million cash in his bank accounts. The luxurious lifestyle was not in line with the income of civil servants, showing that they had received bribes for long.
Law enforcement officers who should safeguard national interests had indeed abused their power to receive bribes, earn big money and seize national funds. Since it is committed knowingly, it leads to more serious consequences compared to crimes committed by criminals. The government must review and rectify the quality of law enforcement officers to avoid affecting the government's credibility. Civil servants or law enforcement officers committing bribery and power abuse involved not only personal morality, but the loopholes in administrative regulatory system is one of the factors "facilitating" bribery. The smuggling case this time has exposed the loopholes in the PKFZ's Customs procedures.
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