VZCZCXRO3087
RR RUEHCHI RUEHDT RUEHHM RUEHNH
DE RUEHBD #0006/01 0080407
ZNR UUUUU ZZH
R 080407Z JAN 10
FM AMEMBASSY BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN
TO RUEHC/SECSTATE WASHDC 4756
INFO RUCNASE/ASEAN MEMBER COLLECTIVE

UNCLAS SECTION 01 OF 02 BANDAR SERI BEGAWAN 000006 
 
SENSITIVE 
 
SIPDIS 
 
STATE FOR EAP/MTS/COPPOLAMG 
 
E.O. 12958: N/A 
TAGS: PGOV PREL KINR BX
SUBJECT: BRUNEI'S EXPANDING ANTI-CORRUPTION PROGRAMS 
 
SUMMARY 
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¶1. (SBU) Brunei has seen a relative increase in corruption case 
brought to trial as well as said trials receiving extensive media 
coverage. Most cases involve Government of Brunei (GoB) employees 
charged under the Prevention of Corruption Act. The GoB employees 
range from a career diplomat receiving bribes in return for issuing 
work visas to customs officials charged with assisting a fuel 
smuggling racket.  In addition, there is the ongoing high-profile 
corruption trial involving a former Minister of Development with 
alleged ties to Brunei's royal family. The result is the public is 
beginning to trust Brunei's Anti-Corruption Bureau (ACB) and 
increasing reports of possible corruption to the ACB.  The ACB has 
increased anti-graft public education, focusing on the schools. 
However, the ACB only now has started to shift its focus on 
investigating corruption in the private sector and could still work 
to increase public transparency for public servant activities and 
finances. The slow timeframe of trials can hinder the 
anti-corruption efforts. End Summary. 
 
 
 
 
ONGOING CORRUPTION CASES 
------------------------ 
¶2. (SBU) Six out of the twenty-four Brunei Custom officials 
suspended from duty in early 2009 for their alleged part in a fuel 
smuggling racket, were recently charged with accepting bribes 
between BND41 to BND 2, 600 to assist a fuel smuggling racket. Each 
defendant faces a charge of 'neglect' for every charge of graft made 
against them.  Defendants are out on bail and the trial is adjourned 
until mid January, 2010. Another Government of Brunei (GoB) case 
involved a career diplomat, Haji Yakib Hj Jumat, arrested by ACB on 
December 2006. He was brought to trial in September 2009.  He was 
charged with twenty counts of corruption involving approximately BND 
55,000 which he allegedly obtained from various Indonesian labor 
agents in return for issuing hundreds of work visas while he was 
Third Secretary the Brunei Embassy's Consular section in Jakarta in 
¶2006.  He is currently on a B$10,000 bail.  Trial has been adjourned 
until January 11, 2010. The defendants in both cases were charged 
under the Section 6 (a) of the Prevention of Corruption Act (Chapter 
131) and Section 165 of the Penal Code (Chapter 22) where the former 
incurs a fine of BND$30,000 and imprisonment of seven years and the 
latter carries a jail term of up to seven years and a fine, 
determined by the court, per offense. 
 
CONVICTED 
--------- 
¶3. (U)A recent corruption case was successful prosecuted against a 
Chief Technical Assistant at the Public Works Department,  Pg Hj 
Tengah bin Pg Hj Tajuddin was found guilty for accepting offer of a 
bribe of BND2000. In an ironic twist, he was only paid BND200 on 
April 2005 as an inducement to expedite an inspection on structural 
works on a government project.  His seven year sentence started on 
December 3, 2009. 
 
HIGH-PROFILE CASE AGAINST A FORMER GoB MINISTER 
--------------------------------------------- --------- 
¶4. (SBU) Brunei's media and public continue to follow the ongoing 
corruption case involving ex-Minister of Development, Pengiran Dr. 
Ismail, and prominent Brunei businessman Wong Tim Kai.  Both 
defendants face eleven charges; three charges under the Prevention 
of Corruption Act and eight charges under the Penal Code. Pg Dr 
Ismail is being charged with accepting graft in the form of a house, 
land, and cash transferred into the defendant's account.   The 
alleged corruption took place between 1994 - 1997, while Ismail was 
the Minister of Development as well as the Istana Project 
Supervisor.  It alleged several of the projects in question were 
funded by Prince Jefri, who was the then Minister of Finance. 
According to expert witness from Hong Kong, Roger Thomas Best, the 
source of funds used to pay for three projects of Mr. Wong's 
company, Ted Sdn.Bhd, were a Citibank account number '019' in the 
name of DPD Jefri Bolkiah. The account was controlled by the Brunei 
Investment Agency (BIA), under the Ministry of Finance. 
¶5. (SBU) The very lengthy trial has been ongoing since 2005 and has 
seen twenty seven witnesses giving evidence for the prosecution and 
the production of over 2,000 documentary exhibits. The trial has 
been put on hold several times due to the continued ill health of 
the former chief justice who was assigned as the trial judge, and 
the untimely death of Christopher Fernando, counsel for the former 
minister, in January 2008. The trial resumed in September with 
twenty six witnesses giving evidence including prominent Chinese 
businessman Pehin Dato Paduka Goh King Chin who is a member of 
Legislative Council and Dato Paduka Rashid Rahman, former Director 
of Roads and who is now the Permanent Secretary at the Ministry of 
Development.  On September 30 2009, a warrant of arrest was issued 
for Wong, who apparently absconded. The trial against Wong will 
continue in abstention. 
 
 
BANDAR SER 00000006  002 OF 002 
 
 
INCREASING WORKLOAD 
------------------- 
6.(SBU) As of May 2009, ACB has opened 70 investigation out of which 
57 were completed and 48 sent to the Attorney General Chambers (AGC) 
for prosecution. This is in comparison to 59 investigations opened, 
41 completed and 17 were sent to AGC for prosecution in 2008. This 
reflects the growing confidence of the ACB and well as the public in 
reporting possible corruption, especially within the public sector, 
through the ACB's website, hotlines, and even social media sites, 
like Facebook. 
 
HIGH MARKS BUT MORE PROGRESS POSSIBLE 
-------------------------------------- 
¶7. (SBU) Since its inception in 1982, ACB's main focus was to ensure 
a corruption free Bruneian government. The Director of 
Anti-Corruption Bureau reports directly to the Sultan. In June 2009, 
Brunei ranked second among ASEAN nations, on the Global Corruption 
Barometer scoring 2.2 (with 5 signifies extremely corrupt) and 
ranked third in terms of effectiveness in government action against 
corruption. However Brunei's private sector is perceived to be the 
most affected by corruption. ACB slowly is beginning to shift their 
focus to private sector corruption because of the private sector 
critical role in the diversification of Brunei's economy. The ACB 
plans to extend their jurisdiction to those private sector firms 
with significant ties to the GoB. 
 
COMMENT 
-------- 
8) (SBU) To further boost public confidence in the public sector, 
the ACB is considering moving forward with implementation of the 
Asset Declaration initiative as recommended by the United Nations 
Convention against Corruption (UNCAC). The UNCAC requires public 
servants to declare their assets in order to improve transparency. 
The ACB also is increasing their public education anti-graft 
campaigns with a focus on Brunei's schools. The coverage of the 
trials in the media as well as the increasing prosecution of cases 
is a good sign that the ACB is becoming a more respected 
institution. Support from the highest reaches of the Brunei 
government will be critical to ensuring the ACB is able to fully and 
successful implement its ongoing anti-corruption efforts. As noted, 
Brunei enjoy high marks in regards to anti corruption efforts and a 
relative limited amount of corruption with the GoB. However, the 
lengthy trial periods for corruption cases can undermine the overall 
confidence in Brunei's anti-corruption programs. 
 
TODD