His Majesty calls for internal crimes to be nipped in the bud

Rokiah Mahmud

Some Royal Customs and Excise Division (RCED) officers have been discovered to dump confiscated contraband for revenue, His Majesty Sultan Haji Hassanal Bolkiah Mu’izzaddin Waddaulah ibni Al-Marhum Sultan Haji Omar ‘Ali Saifuddien Sa’adul Khairi Waddien, Sultan and Yang Di-Pertuan of Brunei Darussalam mentioned in a titah throughout an unscheduled go to to the company yesterday.

The monarch mentioned that motion has but been taken on majority of the confiscated gadgets, that are nonetheless saved at management posts or the state retailer in Gadong.

“Sure confiscated gadgets ought to already be destroyed by now. Relatively, they’re being offered to the general public, particularly foreigners. Except for promoting them, they’re additionally being shared amongst officers of the RCED and the Royal Brunei Police Pressure (RBPF) for private use,” His Majesty mentioned.

The monarch added, “If that is actually what is occurring, it signifies that the method of destroying contraband will not be being carried out appropriately; as an alternative, it’s completed in a careless method, with out the presence of a superior officer to supervise the method.

“If that is what’s been completed to confiscated cigarettes, it isn’t unimaginable that the identical factor is occurring with alcohol and uncooked meats. The prevention and eradication of such ‘inside crimes’ require the braveness of senior officers,” His Majesty mentioned.

The monarch additionally mentioned, “The RCED has been round for over 100 years. It has seen a lot of officers at its helm. Nevertheless, few can steer the division in direction of success.”

His Majesty mentioned because the world ages and mankind turns into extra progressive, the trail that the RCED must take turns into more and more rocky as issues floor to check the integrity, intelligence and transparency of the officers.

The monarch added that what continues to be a problem to the nation is to have officers who’re diligent, hardworking, trustworthy, brave and reliable as they’re the examiners, operation conductors and regulation enforcers.

His Majesty additionally highlighted points which have but been resolved; however as an alternative they’ve develop into more and more prevalent, corresponding to smuggling actions.

His Majesty queried on why the difficulty has continued, whereas speculated that businesses might not have discovered an efficient means in addressing it or the lack of understanding in devising a long-lasting resolution.

“Subsequently, it will be important for the nation to have leaders or enforcement officers which can be extra focussed, decided and brave. The proper angle is required to care for the welfare of the folks,” His Majesty mentioned.

The monarch said that authorities businesses should not present completely different remedy to completely different demographics through the use of the instance of levy.

Most of the people, His Majesty mentioned, are imposed with full levies, whereas these with titles or dignitaries get pleasure from decrease taxes.

“There are occasions when the RCED imposes levy randomly on private gadgets introduced into the nation which causes confusion,” the monarch mentioned.

The monarch mentioned, “One other difficulty is the breach of belief. An instance is a current incident of a customized officer misusing a whole lot of hundreds of {dollars} to pay additional time claims, mileage and shift allowances for RCED officers.

“Various officers have additionally been suspended from work because of the abuse of energy,” His Majesty added.

“One other humiliating downside is corruption.

“In November 2021, the Inner Safety Division (ISD) detained seven officers discovered to be a part of a tax clearance syndicate and storing contraband gadgets inside containers at Muara Port.

“In accordance with the newest report in April, corruption involving RCED officers at Muara Port continued to happen with these officers believed to have obtained bribes from international corporations.

“Bribery is used to hurry up approval and container launch. Even when they’ve been inspected, the method will not be as thorough.

“Nevertheless, if these containers belong to locals, the inspection would have been stricter.

“In September, the ISD detained a lot of RCED officers and workers suspected to be concerned in corruption. The case has been forwarded to the Anti-Corruption Bureau for additional motion.

“These are solely examples of what has taken place at Muara Port; there are extra on land, with heavy autos carrying massive containers,” His Majesty mentioned.

The monarch then questioned how these containers are inspected earlier than launch.

The monarch’s data is that there’s an X-ray scanner for the inspection of autos

Relating to corruption, His Majesty admitted that it isn’t a difficulty that may be simply tackled.

“It isn’t sufficient for the enforcement group to make accusations or shut a file that includes a dignitary. If a criminal offense has been dedicated, then it’s the obligation of the authorities to let the regulation determine whether or not the accused is actually accountable,” His Majesty mentioned.