Customs inspector in the dock for collecting bribe

dubai — A customs inspector is facing a charge of collecting a Dh3,000 bribe for letting a vehicle loaded with carton boxes filled with perfumes exit a gate without settling the five per cent customs fees.

The incident happened on May 15 when the 27-year-old Emirati inspector, identified as M.S., allegedly allowed the vehicle out of the customs zone gate at Jebel Ali Port without paying Dh10,769, worth of customs fees.

He is believed to have told his compatriot colleague, a 22-yearold customs inspector identified as A.M., to stamp the vehicle’s documents without verifying whether the products mentioned in the documents matched the ones in the vehicle and with no fees being paid.

While M.S. and A.M. have been charged with collecting bribes, criminal complicity and forging and using a forged official document, a 45-year- old British businessman, identified as S.B. has been accused of evading customs fees in the Court of First Instance.

A customs section director said he spotted M.S. handing over some papers to S.B. and then the merchandise was loaded into S.B.’s vehicle, which made him suspicious.

He followed their cars as they exited the gate. He then stopped S.B.’s vehicle and made it return to pass through the inspection point.

“S.B. who was sitting next to the driver told me that M.S. helped him pass the gate without first settling the customs fees, worth five per cent of the total merchandise value.”

The director added that he learnt from S.B. that M.S. had collected Dh3,000 from him a day before for the favour.

“I knew the documents were stamped by A.M. as per M.S.’s request,” he stated.