By Noela EBOB BISONG
The Director General DG of the Cameroon Customs Service, Fongod Edwin Nuvaga, has cautioned Customs officers to desist from involving in business transactions which poses a conflict of interest in their job.
In a recent communiqué addressed to Brigade heads and Chiefs of Sector, Fongod states that he has received several information with regards to the involvement of Customs agents in diverse commercial transactions with some acting as intermediaries to clients.
The DG regrets that such activities does not only lead to a host of disorder but also tarnishes the image of the Customs Sector in the country.
According to the DG, such practices are not only punishable by Article 38 of Decree No.94/199 of 07 October 1994 relating to the General Statute of the functioning of the State but also violates the Customs Code which talks of non-interest on the part of Customs agents in the course of their job.
Fongod therefore urges Customs personnel involved in such deals to immediately desist from further engaging such, as “…it can expose them to disciplinary sanctions and legal actions as well…”.
In a conversation with a Customs Agent who opted for anonymity, he said the DG’s intervention is timely because there is a lot of frustration at work. “Sometimes, immediately you get to a Container to work, you will just receive a call from hierarchy instructing you to leave the place, that it is such and such person’s Container…the conflict of interest is indeed real. Sometimes, we can’t control vehicles on the road as well, because few minutes before the vehicle arrives our post, an instruction comes in to allow the vehicle pass.” The SUN gathered that such actions heavily weigh on state coffers, as Customs duties are either deflated to personal pockets or simple evaded.
Fongod presses that the instruction should be strictly applied henceforth, urging that any difficulty in its implementation should be immediately related to him.