Customs employees involved in smuggling cases suspended

(Updated 10:17 p.m.) At least 12 Customs employees implicated in smuggling and other criminal cases were suspended on orders of President Benigno Aquino III, Malacañang said in a statement Monday. Also, Customs brokers involved in technical smuggling and other violations of the Customs and Tariff Code will find their accreditations suspended, said Customs Commissioner Angelito Alvarez "If the complaint or charge is found by the BOC’s Legal Service to be serious and prima facie evidence is shown to support the complaint or charge, the brokers will be suspended," he said. Preventive suspension will ensure that respondents will not be able to influence the outcome of the investigation against them, and erase misconceptions that the bureau’s campaign against smuggling and corruption was not serious enough, according to the Customs chief. The President issued the order after receiving a report that those 12 Customs examiners, operations officers and document processors have either been charged or recommended for inclusion in smuggling and corruption cases the BOC has filed against erring importers. What the President wants All customs personnel with a role in the release of smuggled products will be identified, investigated and, if evidence warrants, charged both criminally and administratively, according to the Customs chief, saying that is what the President wants. Since July 2010 to mid-March 2011, the bureau filed 30 criminal cases before the Department of Justice. Charged were importers and brokers involved in importing firearms, illegal drugs, high-end cars, heavy equipment, rice, sugar, onions and oil products. The 12 Customs employees, including examiners, operations officers and document processors have been charged or included in smuggling and corruption cases filed against importers, said Customs Deputy Commissioner and RATS executive director Gregorio Chavez. RATS is the acronym for Run after the Smugglers, a program the bureau launched in 2005 as a high-impact project against prominent smugglers. Its objective was to seize smuggled goods and to file two smuggling cases a month. Alvarez said he believes that smuggling thrives in the country as smugglers and Customs employees are in cahoots with each other. — VS, GMA News