New Customs boss stresses discipline
Incoming Sabah Customs Department director Datuk Hamzah Sundang has put discipline and ac vi es of its officers in his sight.
KOTA KINABALU: Incoming Sabah Customs Department director Datuk Hamzah Sundang has put discipline and activities of its officers in his sight.
Hamzah who takes over from Datuk Dr Janathan Kandok, said he will also focus on the department’s collection.
He said this when asked for his vision and mission as the new state Customs Director after he officially received the baton from Janathan on Monday.
Hamzah added that he will maintain the state department’s administration as laid down by his predecessor.
Hamzah, 59, hails from Kota Belud and joined the state Customs Department in 1984 as an enforcement officer. He was promoted to Deputy State Customs Department Director (Enforcement) in 2010.
In 2014 he was transferred to Terengganu and held the post of state Customs Department director. Then in December 2016, he assumed the post of Customs Director of Kuala Lumpur International Airport.
Royal Malaysian Customs Department Director General Datuk Seri Subromaniam Tholasy who witnessed the handing over ceremony, disclosed that the suspect involved in the pangolin scales smuggling case will be officially charged in court soon.
He told reporters that investigations into case are near completion and it will be brought to court soon.
The suspect will be charged under Section 135 of the Customs Act 1967 for smuggling and also may also be charged for making wrong declaration, he said.
He said that the scales worth RM100 million were on transit in Sabah when they were seized by the Customs Department.
He also said that the Sabah Wildlife Department can also take up the case and charge the suspect.
Earlier this month, the state Customs Department seized 8,000kg of pangolin scales which were packed with seashells in 226 sacks in two shipping containers at the Sepanggar Bay container port.
The cargo was declared as seashells and were bound for China. The case is investigated under Section 135 (1)(a) of the Customs Act 1967 for exporting prohibited goods which carries a fine of between 10 and 20 times the value of the goods or up two three years’ imprisonment or both.
A 43-year-old local man who is believed to the owner of the containers, was arrested to facilitate investigations into the case.
Meanwhile, Subromaniam said that it was unfair of certain quarters to accuse Malaysia of being a transit point for smugglers.
“Sometimes when we intercept and get a lot of cases, people accuse us of being a transit point. But there are other countries, some of our neighbours where smuggling activities are also conducted because they (the authorities) don’t take any action.
“We look at the positive side of the criticism because the fact that we manage to intercept and seize shows that the Customs Department is doing its job. So it is unfair to accuse Malaysia of being the transit point.
“For us, as long as there are smuggling activities including that of wildlife, we will take action. We have also tightened control at all entry points with Collaborated Border Management approach where enforcement officers are stationed with import/export officers and we are also on the lookout for wildlife smuggling and all that,” he stressed.