Customs respond to man’s claim

Lae News, Normal
Source:

The National, Tuesday 25th September 2012

By ELLEN TIAMU
THE Assistant Commissioner of Customs in the Mamose region says he is unaware of senior officers in Lae asking for money to clear containers at the Lae wharf quickly.
Francis Nipuru was replying to a claim by Lae resident, Tom Uku, who said senior customs staff at the Lae port were asking for money to fast-track the clearance of container cargo.
Uku said the officers had created a system of their own that was delaying containers at the wharf for up to seven days.
He said the Custom’s enforcement section was working in isolation from other divisions without proper risk assessment on importers.
“Because of this system manipulation, we importers are now paying these scrupulous senior customs officers to have our containers processed quickly and removed from the wharf before storage and other charges accumulate,” he said.
Nipuru said the Lae office had tightened up on such acts and he was surprised by the claim.
“We in fact have gone out of our way to discourage this or report to police people who try to bribe their way out of paying customs dues,” he said.
“If Uku is serious and truthful about what he is saying, he should assist by giving names and further information on when these incidents supposedly took place,” he said.