Directors, workers claim trial to false manifest declaration

KOTA KINABALU: Three directors and two workers of a shipping agency have claimed trial to three counts of falsely declaring consignment as spare parts and machinery when they were in fact contraband cigarettes worth RM22.7mil instead.

This was after the company, Harbour Services Sdn Bhd, and its directors Alias @ Awg Alias Timbang, 73, Wong Siau Chin, 43, and Yong Lin Ing, 49; were charged under Section 52(1) of the Customs Act 1967 at the Sessions Court here on Tuesday (April 11).

Also charged were the company's workers Adelaide Amy Kilik @ Anastasia, 46, and Ellen Foo Chu Oi, 47.

This was read together with Section 34 of the Penal Code, and punishable under Section 52(4) of the Customs Act which provides imprisonment for up to five years, or a fine of up to RM100,000, or both, on conviction.

The accused pleaded not guilty before Sessions Court Judge Azreena Aziz.

According to the charge sheets, the company and the quintet had made untrue declarations on the inward manifest forms for the containers.

They had allegedly committed the offences at the Customs Examination Area in the Sabah Port, near here at 9am on March 17, 2021.

Instead of declaring the goods in the containers as cigarettes, the company and the accused declared them as spare parts for injection moulding machine, welded wire mesh, holder liner electric welding as well as machine and dining table sets, among others.

The court allowed a RM10,000 bail with two local sureties each for the five accused pending the disposal of the case.

Azreena also fixed June 26 for pretrial case management, with the hearing for the case set from Jan 22 to 23 next year.

Prosecuting officer Azizah Talibe appeared for the Customs Department while lawyer Gerard Chia represented the accused persons.