Customs Commissioner Rozzano Rufino Biazon
The Bureau of Customs (BOC) has intercepted P61.7 million worth of smuggled goods, including P25.7 million worth of power cables suspected to have originated from the controversial Chinese telecoms firm ZTE Corp.
Customs Commissioner Rozzano Rufino Biazon on Tuesday presented to the media 270 pieces of power cables, 29,286 patch cords, and 90 pieces of panel board accessories that were exported from Hong Kong by a Chinese firm identified as ZTE Corp.
According to Biazon, the customs bureau is investigating if the firm is the same ZTE Corp. that was involved in the botched NBN-ZTE deal under the previous Arroyo administration.
“We are familiar with (ZTE) because we investigated (the broadband deal) in Congress. This has the same logo so most likely it is the same company. ZTE deals not just with telecoms. They have other projects so these (the confiscated goods) could have been intended for their other projects in the country,” he said.
The $329-million NBN project in 2007 was aimed at linking government offices throughout the country electronically. The project was awarded to China’s ZTE Corp. After Senate investigations uncovered alleged irregularities attending the deal, President Gloria Macapagal-Arroyo canceled the project.
The NBN-ZTE deal is now one of the cases Arroyo is facing, in yet another plunder complaint brought against her by leftist groups.
The smuggled goods, stacked in 40-footer van, had been misdeclared as 196 kilograms of cables and accessories. They were consigned to FEC Trading.
Biazon said the shipment would be disposed of properly via auction.
“Hopefully, these seizures will result in two less smugglers at the Bureau of Customs, P27 million is a lot of money to lose. And by wiping out the resources of smugglers, smuggling could significantly be lessened, if not totally eliminated,” he said.
The BOC-Enforcement and Security Service Motor Vehicle Monitoring and Clearance Office also seized a 40-footer container van loaded with 16 Mini Cooper bodies, including cabs and body shells.
In his report to Biazon, George Aliño, the director of the BOC-Enforcement and Security Services, said the shipment arrived on October 15 from Japan and was also consigned to FEC Trading.