2,100 turtle eggs , RM28,548 cigarettes seized
SANDAKAN: The Marine Operations Force (MOF) here confiscated 243 packets of contraband cigarettes worth RM28,548 at the river area of Mile 3, Kampung Mangkalinau, yesterday.
Its Regional 4 commander, ACP Mohamad Bin Madun, said the seizure was made during the ‘Pensura Operation’ around 3.45am when a MOF patrol team saw several persons transferring black plastic bags from a boat onto a jetty.
When the MOF team went nearer, all the men fled. Upon inspection, they found 93 packets of Green Astro and 150 packets of Red Astro believed to have been smuggled into Sandakan from a neighboring country.
The case will be investigated under Section 135 (1) (d) of the Customs Act. All the confiscated items were handed over to the Customs Department.
On the same day of the operation, the MOF confiscated 2,100 turtle eggs at the waters of Kampung Forest.
The MOF patrol team came across a speedboat and saw the skipper jump into the sea.
Found in the boat were six bags containing 2,100 turtle eggs.
All the confiscated turtle eggs, including the speedboat and its engine, were worth around RM13,000.
The turtle eggs will be referred to the Wildlife Department for further investigation.
The MOF welcomes information on crime activities in the sea, coastal or rivers in the district. Its phone numbers are 089-221423/221424/221453. PUTRAJAYA: Agriculture and Agro-based Ministry secretary-general Datuk Mohd Arif Ab Rahman said the move by the ministry’s former secretary-general (KSU), who has since retired, in signing an agricultural project worth RM268 million previously was done in good faith.
He said normally the KSU was empowered to sign projects of up to RM100 million but the move was made to expedite the implementation of the project.
“I think there was no misappropriation because I believe the previous KSU signed the contract in good faith in his capacity to expedite the project,” he said in a session with the media on follow-up measures pertaining to the 2014 Auditor General Report here yesterday.
The function was attended by chief secretary to the government Tan Sri Dr Ali Hamsa and auditor general Tan Sri Ambrin Buang.
He was commenting on the action of the ministry’s former KSU in signing an agricultural contract under the National Key Economic Areas (NKEA) which exceeded RM100 and should have been approved by the minister concerned as stated in the audit report.
Mohd Arif said however the project was valid for implementation and the audit also stated that it was excluded from punitive cases except as a reminder that the delegation of power from the minister must be obtained first before any projects that exceeded RM100 million was signed by the KSU.
To ensure such cases did not recur, he had formed a committee that would look at the standard operating procedure as a whole prior to sealing a project for future implementation, he said.
Meanwhile Ali said an act committed by an officer in a supervisory capacity of the ministry could be considered as a ‘negligence.’
“I agree this is a negligence and if the officer involved is still in service, he can be subjected to disciplinary action,” he said.
In another development Education Ministry KSU Tan Sri Dr Madinah Mohamad said the purchase of computer sofeware that should have been acquired free of charge was actually included in the package.
Based on the auditor general report, the ministry had purchased 1,417 spell checker software priced at RM280 per unit, totalling RM396,760, she said.
The software was supplied for 1,147 computer units in all laboratories in all the 20 schools in Putrajaya.
“At that time, when the ministry opened the acquisition tender, this was the price given and agreed upon by the board,” she said, adding that government officers should understand their responsibilities in carrying out their duties.