By Kay Kimsong
THE CAMBODIA DAILY
Finance Minister Keat Chhon announced Monday that he is punishing employees in the Customs and Excise Department for their role in smuggling some 800 motor vehicles from Thailand since March.
"On behalf of the government, I warn that not only customs officials will receive administrative fines, but those in other ministries too," he said.
Keat Chhon said that the Anti-Corruption Committee, headed by Prime Minister Hun Sen's adviser Om Yentieng, had discovered the corruption and confiscated the right-hand drive cars and Sports Utility Vehicles that were brought mainly over the Thai border in Banteay Meanchey province's Malai and Boeng Trakoun districts.
Keat Chhon did not mention any punishment other than fines for customs officials involved in smuggling rings.
The government has also discovered that certain customs officials had tipped off car smugglers that they were being pursued by mobile customs department units, he added.
In March, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced that all right-hand vehicles already in the country would be legalized but that all future imports were barred.
Keat Chhon said 20 percent of customs revenue is still being lost to smuggling. He also said that smuggling has increased along the border as illegal logging has been curtailed.
SRP lawmaker Yim Sovann, chairman of the National Assembly's anti-corruption commission, said he would monitor the punishment of the customs officials and called for criminal cases to be opened against the officials.
"It was huge corruption," he said.
"I have never seen a court case that has jailed car smugglers," he added. "Just to talk about it is not enough."
He said that the government has likely lost millions of dollars in taxes on the 800 cars.
Funcinpec lawmaker Monh Saphan said he would wait and see how Keat Chhon punished the officials before commenting. "I will continue to observe the situation," he said. He added that if the Finance Ministry really took action against car smuggling, it could easily succeed. "Cars can’t be put in the pocket," he said.
Customs and Excise Department Director Pen Simon and Om Yentieng could not be reached for comment.
"On behalf of the government, I warn that not only customs officials will receive administrative fines, but those in other ministries too," he said.
Keat Chhon said that the Anti-Corruption Committee, headed by Prime Minister Hun Sen's adviser Om Yentieng, had discovered the corruption and confiscated the right-hand drive cars and Sports Utility Vehicles that were brought mainly over the Thai border in Banteay Meanchey province's Malai and Boeng Trakoun districts.
Keat Chhon did not mention any punishment other than fines for customs officials involved in smuggling rings.
The government has also discovered that certain customs officials had tipped off car smugglers that they were being pursued by mobile customs department units, he added.
In March, Prime Minister Hun Sen announced that all right-hand vehicles already in the country would be legalized but that all future imports were barred.
Keat Chhon said 20 percent of customs revenue is still being lost to smuggling. He also said that smuggling has increased along the border as illegal logging has been curtailed.
SRP lawmaker Yim Sovann, chairman of the National Assembly's anti-corruption commission, said he would monitor the punishment of the customs officials and called for criminal cases to be opened against the officials.
"It was huge corruption," he said.
"I have never seen a court case that has jailed car smugglers," he added. "Just to talk about it is not enough."
He said that the government has likely lost millions of dollars in taxes on the 800 cars.
Funcinpec lawmaker Monh Saphan said he would wait and see how Keat Chhon punished the officials before commenting. "I will continue to observe the situation," he said. He added that if the Finance Ministry really took action against car smuggling, it could easily succeed. "Cars can’t be put in the pocket," he said.
Customs and Excise Department Director Pen Simon and Om Yentieng could not be reached for comment.
2 comments:
ha ha ha ha Mr. Mond Saphan said cars could be put in the pocket. I don't know wehther you play dump or you don't have enough education. Let me tell you they could put Mountain in the pocket(800 cars are too little). So if you really want to keep track on this matter, you better be Heng Peo.
Words without action, would be useless. Cambodian political leaders love to make joke, but action against corrution would never take place if they do not set up good examples for the country. Where is the role models for the country? There is a saying: big eats big, small eats small, what is the different?
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