Customs official charged

By SCHOLAR KASSAS
A PNG Customs officials has been charged with five counts of misappropriation and abuse of office.
Magistrate Paul Puri Nii in the Waigani Committal Court, on Tuesday, read out the charges to internal affairs director Brian Lillywhite, 45, from Kairuku in Central, and fixed June 28 for mention.
The complaint was about seized firearms and also other PNG Customs-owned firearms which were under the custody of Lillywhite.
Police allege that in February, 2012, PNG Customs and the Police National Criminal Intelligence Unit conducted a combined operation at the Lae port.
The operation was executed after information about an illegal importation of contraband goods and firearms was acquired by authorities.
Two M4 enhanced rifles and six pistols were discovered in the container, including more than 200 rounds of ammunitions and other contraband were seized from the container.
The court ordered that the firearms and ammunitions found be destroyed within 30 days of the seizure.
Court further ordered that PNG Customs would take charge of the seized items.
As internal affairs director Lillywhite was responsible for the safe keeping of all customs firearms and ammunitions including contraband and seized goods.
Lillywhite had been asked several times to produce indemnity receipts or receipts of the whereabouts of the contrabands and dangerous goods but failed to do so.
Lillywhite is alleged to have said the firearms were with the police but did not provide documentation on the handing over of the items.
It is alleged that five firearms under his custody had gone missing without any explanation or record. Attempts to retrieve the Customs-owned firearms were unsuccessful.
Lillywhite was arrested on May 9, and two of the firearms, a pistol and a Mossberg shotgun were recovered from possession.
White was arrested and charged with one count of abuse of office and was also charged with five additional charges of misappropriation.