PM: Don’t get into corrupt practices

Customs officers here have been warned not to get into corrupt practices. That advice came from Prime Minister Dr. Ralph Gonsalves last Monday morning. He was addressing a group of 16 Junior Officers at the start of a seven-week promotion Course.

The Prime Minister alluded to the situation in which Customs Officers seeing themselves as the elite of the Civil Service. He urged them to use their authority wisely and fairly.{{more}}

Dr. Gonsalves encouraged the Customs Officers to “be self critical.” For him, assessing one’s weaknesses was an important factor. And he would like the Customs Officers to tighten up.

The Prime Minister noted that measures were in place to deal with persons who tried to beat the system with false invoicing or other methods. He alerted Customs Officers that there was an eye out “for those inside the Customs who want to beat the system for their own pecuniary advantage.”

Dr. Gonsalves boasted of increased collection at the Customs for the first quarter of this year compared to the corresponding period last year. But he cautioned Customs Officers not to be complacent about their successes.