For MAS Pilots ONLY pt. 3
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MAS explains weight-cheating claims, MP not convinced
Beh Lih Yi
4:00pm Sat May 31st, 2003
National carrier Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has dismissed allegations that
its general sales agent in Dhaka, Bangladesh had committed fraud against
the airlines by under declaring cargo weight transported by the airline.
Its corporate services senior general manager Dr Mohamadon Abdullah said
there was "no point" for its agent - Silkways Cargo Services Ltd - to
under declare as the commission given to the freight company was based
o?n the flight manifest record obtained from the final destination.
Mohamadon told reporters this after a meeting with DAP member of
Parliament for Seputeh Teresa Kok yesterday. MAS cargo senior general
manager Ong Jyh Jong was also present.
Ground-handling agent
The issue of weight-cheating claims was brought up by Kok after a MAS
senior employee lodged two police reports against Silkways o?n April 21
and May 26 .
In the reports, the complainant alleged that Silkways has committed
fraud by under-declaration, manipulating the shipment data and offering
inducement worth millions of ringgit to MAS officials to slip through
the under-reporting.
Silkways is a company co-owned by MP for Shah Alam and Parliamentary
Backbenchers club chairperson Mohd Zin Mohamed (right).
Mohamadon also raised several points at the press conference to rebuke
the complaints.
He claimed Silkways does not have the mechanism to make any
under-declaration as the ground-handling agent in Dhaka airport is not
the freight company.
"Our ground handling agent for both passenger and cargo is Bangladeshi
Biman Airlines, the o?nly ground handler at Dhaka airport.
"All air cargo shipment out of Dhaka airport is lodged with the
ground-handling agent who is responsible for preparing the cargo for
uplift, which includes acceptance, weighing, documentation and loading
the aircraft," explained Mohamadon.
He added that the commission paid by MAS to the agent was according to
weight recorded o?n the flight manifest at the final destination and
therefore the agent would not gain any advantage from under-declaration.
The manager also brushed aside the information storage media documents -
copies of which were attached in the police reports earlier to show the
discrepancies - as they were merely for internal references.
"There are o?nly two sets of document that we take into account; the
airway bill (weighing record done at the point of origin) and the flight
manifest and figures o?n these two documents match each other," he told
reporters.
‘Detected earlier ’
Mohamadon explained that the weight o?n information storage media has
led to the misunderstanding because it might include weight of pallets
and other different garments.
Citing example, he said extra weight could be put o?nto another cargo
when the agent received a 1800kg garments but the pallet could o?nly
load 1600kg garments.
"Therefore we might top up the extra 200kg garments to another cargo and
the alleged discrepancies happened here because the information storage
media record done at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport included
this extra weight," Mohamadon said.
On the police reports, he said the cases were detected earlier during
the random pick check. Following that, the airlines has submitted a
discrepancy report and billed the sub-agent responsible under Silkways.
Responding to a joint letter from six MAS sub-agents (freight
forwarders) last July to the national carrier against Silkways for
‘weight cheating’, the manager claimed it was due to "business rivalry".
"Those not selected as our agent must be very unhappy since being a MAS
sales agent is a very lucrative deal. Anyway, Silkways has reached our
target ever year and we will continue utilising their services next
year," Mohamadon said.
To a question that the complainant would not gain any benefit if he had
made a false report, he replied, "You have to ask the complainant".
Monitoring system
Meanwhile, Kok said she was "disappointed and unconvinced" with the
explanation provided by the officials which was "so protective of
Silkways".
"But what I believe is that MAS’ "earlier detection" was o?nly made
after the police reports were lodged.
"They said the discrepancies was detected earlier but documents showed
the airline o?nly billed the sub-agent o?n May 12, three weeks after the
first police report," Kok said.
On her next course of action, the MP said she would first convey the
airline’s explanation to the complainant.
Beh Lih Yi
4:00pm Sat May 31st, 2003
National carrier Malaysia Airlines (MAS) has dismissed allegations that
its general sales agent in Dhaka, Bangladesh had committed fraud against
the airlines by under declaring cargo weight transported by the airline.
Its corporate services senior general manager Dr Mohamadon Abdullah said
there was "no point" for its agent - Silkways Cargo Services Ltd - to
under declare as the commission given to the freight company was based
o?n the flight manifest record obtained from the final destination.
Mohamadon told reporters this after a meeting with DAP member of
Parliament for Seputeh Teresa Kok yesterday. MAS cargo senior general
manager Ong Jyh Jong was also present.
Ground-handling agent
The issue of weight-cheating claims was brought up by Kok after a MAS
senior employee lodged two police reports against Silkways o?n April 21
and May 26 .
In the reports, the complainant alleged that Silkways has committed
fraud by under-declaration, manipulating the shipment data and offering
inducement worth millions of ringgit to MAS officials to slip through
the under-reporting.
Silkways is a company co-owned by MP for Shah Alam and Parliamentary
Backbenchers club chairperson Mohd Zin Mohamed (right).
Mohamadon also raised several points at the press conference to rebuke
the complaints.
He claimed Silkways does not have the mechanism to make any
under-declaration as the ground-handling agent in Dhaka airport is not
the freight company.
"Our ground handling agent for both passenger and cargo is Bangladeshi
Biman Airlines, the o?nly ground handler at Dhaka airport.
"All air cargo shipment out of Dhaka airport is lodged with the
ground-handling agent who is responsible for preparing the cargo for
uplift, which includes acceptance, weighing, documentation and loading
the aircraft," explained Mohamadon.
He added that the commission paid by MAS to the agent was according to
weight recorded o?n the flight manifest at the final destination and
therefore the agent would not gain any advantage from under-declaration.
The manager also brushed aside the information storage media documents -
copies of which were attached in the police reports earlier to show the
discrepancies - as they were merely for internal references.
"There are o?nly two sets of document that we take into account; the
airway bill (weighing record done at the point of origin) and the flight
manifest and figures o?n these two documents match each other," he told
reporters.
‘Detected earlier ’
Mohamadon explained that the weight o?n information storage media has
led to the misunderstanding because it might include weight of pallets
and other different garments.
Citing example, he said extra weight could be put o?nto another cargo
when the agent received a 1800kg garments but the pallet could o?nly
load 1600kg garments.
"Therefore we might top up the extra 200kg garments to another cargo and
the alleged discrepancies happened here because the information storage
media record done at the Kuala Lumpur International Airport included
this extra weight," Mohamadon said.
On the police reports, he said the cases were detected earlier during
the random pick check. Following that, the airlines has submitted a
discrepancy report and billed the sub-agent responsible under Silkways.
Responding to a joint letter from six MAS sub-agents (freight
forwarders) last July to the national carrier against Silkways for
‘weight cheating’, the manager claimed it was due to "business rivalry".
"Those not selected as our agent must be very unhappy since being a MAS
sales agent is a very lucrative deal. Anyway, Silkways has reached our
target ever year and we will continue utilising their services next
year," Mohamadon said.
To a question that the complainant would not gain any benefit if he had
made a false report, he replied, "You have to ask the complainant".
Monitoring system
Meanwhile, Kok said she was "disappointed and unconvinced" with the
explanation provided by the officials which was "so protective of
Silkways".
"But what I believe is that MAS’ "earlier detection" was o?nly made
after the police reports were lodged.
"They said the discrepancies was detected earlier but documents showed
the airline o?nly billed the sub-agent o?n May 12, three weeks after the
first police report," Kok said.
On her next course of action, the MP said she would first convey the
airline’s explanation to the complainant.
