Top cop questions arrest of senior Customs officer

By CLIFFORD FAIPARIK
A TOP cop has questioned the arrest of a senior PNG Customs officer yesterday on allegations that he was involved in a scam to defraud the State of around K15 million.
National Capital District-Central Police Commander Donald Yamasombi raised his concern after being informed that officers from the Badili police station had arrested the officer at the PNG Customs Headquarters in Hohola.
“The arrest looks improper and ill-conceived,” he told The National.
“I am yet to establish who the complainant is as there is no brief provided by the Badili police station commander and his members on the nature of the complaint and who the complainant is.”
However Badili police said the arrest was the result of more than a year of investigation by Customs and police. They obtained a warrant of arrest for the man from the court before apprehending in at the Customs headquarters in Hohola.
The allegation is that the officer was the central figure in a tax evasion syndicate which deprived the State of around K15 million in taxes and duty between 2012 and 2018.
He was charged with 10 counts of official corruption, extortion, abuse of office, conspiracy to falsely accuse, conspiracy to defraud and conspiracy to commit a crime.