Frozen chicken wings issue: Customs probe ready within two weeks

The special taskforce, set up by the Royal Malaysian Customs Department to investigate the incident involving frozen chicken wings disposed in Bukit Aup, Sibu, that were dug up by the people on April 4, has been given at least two weeks to complete the probe.

Customs director-general Datuk T. Subromaniam said stern action would be taken if the investigation shows the standard operating procedure (SOP) was not adhered to when the poultry parts were disposed.

Based on the preliminary report, he did not rule out the possibility of SOP violations and that all aspects should be considered, including the involvement of officers or contractor before any action was taken.

"I'm not pointing fingers, we wait for the investigation to be completed. Customs considers this a serious matter, we will not take things for granted," he told reporters after launching the CBOS 3.0 Sarawak Operation in Wisma Kastam here today.

He said the investigation team, set up immediately after the incident went viral, should be given time because they had to contact various parties to take statements.

In the April 4 incident, large number of residents were reported scrambling to dig up an area in Bukit Aup, Sibu to get the frozen chicken wings believed to be disposed in three containers and buried.

The frozen chicken wings were part of the 81,500 kg frozen chicken wings from the Netherlands seized by an enforcement team from Putrajaya on Feb 23 at the Rajang Port Authority for not having import permit worth about RM543,756 and import duty of RM108,751.20. -- Bernama