Customs Comptroller Glenn Gomez admits that some of his officers have fallen by the wayside and are accepting bribes. This is especially a problem during the holiday season.
Once again, Gomez promises increased diligence by Customs officials as Christmas nears and more Bahamians continue to shop abroad.
“I’m always concerned about officers taking bribes. I would like to hope that that sort of behaviour would be minimal,” he said.
“I hope that officers understand that it’s really in their best interest not to accede to things like that and that’s not to say that people won’t try to persuade them into taking bribes, but we trust that our officers would be mindful of the jobs they have been entrusted to do.”
Far too many Customs officers seem to forget the oath that they took when they came into the department.
“I really hope and trust that this sort of thing would not be at an alarming rate this year,” he said.
One problem is the fact that Bahamians are “outrightly” trying to deceive the system.
“We have found that goods are coming in, but when people put in the forms and pay the duty, upon examination, we find that there are goods there that they have not declared at all,” Mr. Gomez explained.
“With the enhanced diligence we will reap benefits over the holidays and persons will have to declare and pay the monies owed to the department. Officers will be taking a no tolerance approach because the government has to make money,” Gomez told the Bahama Journal.
