Customs officer on smuggling charge

Press, 4 March 1987, Page 7

Customs officer on smuggling charge

PA Auckland A customs officer, John Francis Clarke, has denied in the District Court at Auckland that he had “turned a blind eye” to false documents he received concerning sports cars allegedly smuggled into New Zealand.

Clarke told the Court that he received purchase forms for Ford Mustangs bought in the United States which listed fictitious people as the buyers.

He knew the names were false but accepted the purchase forms, and used them to clear import entries and duty declarations for the cars through

customs. Clarke, aged 32, of Titirangi, was charged with smuggling four Ford Mustang sports cars in to New Zealand from the United States in June, 1986. He pleaded not guilty. During crossexamination by prosecuting counsel, Mr David Jones, Clarke was asked if he had “turned a blind eye” to the false information on the cars.

“I am not saying I turned a blind eye,” Clarke replied. “I may have accepted a few things I normally would not have.”

The smuggling charge was laid jointly against Clarke, Kenneth Edwin Willis, aged 38, a musician, and Paul Gerald Stanley-Hunt, aged 33, a machine operator, both of Whangaparaoa, north of Auckland. Willis and Clarke were also charged jointly with two counts of . under-

valuing the Mustangs on import entry forms with intent to defraud the Customs Department of sales tax.

Clarke faced three further charges of refusing or failing to comply with customs orders to answer questions about the importing of the cars. All these charges were

denied. Mr Jones asked Clarke if he had accepted the false information on the cars because Willis, who had bought the Mustangs, had offered him $lO,OOO on account for assisting with the importing paperwork.

“That may have had some bearing on the matter,” Clarke said. The hearing before Judge Gilbert continues.