Last week, we traced Mohammed Rafik Kahan’s movements from the latter part of 1986 to when a container load of “used machinery” or “lathes” as it was described at different times by Kahan, arrived in Fiji in May 1988. A total of 25 people were questioned when it was discovered that the container actually contained weapons that could assist a small and effective insurgency in a country like Fiji. It was obvious that the plot was much wider and thicker than it appeared at first. We will peel off the layers in this historic nugget in our expose as promised earlier. Here, we focus on how the container was adroitly released from Customs.
Release of the container
WE covered last week that on Saturday, April 2, 1988, Mohammed Rafik Kahan landed at Nadi and checked into a local hotel that he was familiar with. Fiji’s very own international gun dealer was now in place to supervise the movement of the arms consignment. He had obviously kept track of the deadly consignment and knew that it was in Fiji and more specifically at Lautoka Wharf with Carpenters Shipping.
On Tuesday, he took a cab to Carpenters Shipping to pick up papers needed for importing merchandise. On Thursday, he acquired a rental car and drove around between Nadi and Lautoka. On Friday, he contacted “Anil” by phone and asked for a bill of lading number 400050137046. When the phone wasn’t picked up, his instincts got heightened. It is not uncommon for fugitives and criminals to develop animal-like instincts over time. This was familiar psychological territory for this seasoned international operator and jailbird, and he became very cautious.
Later that day, a tired Carpenters Shipping clerk stamped the original bill of lading presented to him by a man whose name he did not ask. The number on that bill was the same as the number Kahan had attempted to trace the day before. It recorded one container load of six packages of used equipment. The shipper was recorded as SAFE Freight Services, A/A Quintex Trican Ltd, with no consignee. All freight and related charges had been paid in Australia. Interestingly, Quintex Trican was a shelter company used by Oil Tycoon Adnan Kashoggi. A shelter company is a service provider that allows a foreign company to conduct business in another country. And Kashoggi, who had sent a high-powered team to Fiji in 1986, was a known international arms dealer.
The container was with Carpenters Shipping in Lautoka, and Kahan was now in search of avenues to get the container cleared as quickly and as unobtrusively as possible. He approached a contact by the name of Taimud Dean who had a garage close to customs agent, Speedy Clearance. Dean then, put him in touch with Mohammed Shariff of Speedy Clearance. Kahn promptly negotiated a fee for wharfage, container cartage to Ba and return of empty container to Lautoka. This was Friday.
The following Monday Kahn walked into Speedy Clearance and presented an original supplier’s invoice from Quintex (UK) Ltd for two used lathes. This was then used by Shariff as he now got onto the task of obtaining a clearance for the container. On Thursday Khan called to enquire if the container had been cleared and was told that more information was needed. Later that day, when he visited Speedy Clearance, he was accompanied by a military officer and a dignified looking gentleman in a sulu who has introduced as Ratu Mosese Tuisawau.
Customs agents typically have close working relationships with customs officials. Mohammed Shariff worked with a customs officer called Mahendra Rao who was based in Lautoka. Shariff called Rao and made an appointment. Khan, Ratu Mosese and Shariff then drove to the Customs office in Lautoka and presented their papers to Mahendra Rao. When Rao enquired about the “used equipment” in the container, Khan said they were fairly old, and that Ratu Mo was going to buy these to set up a factory in Ba in partnership with others. After all, this was in line with government’s avowed plan to accelerate Fijian participation in business.
After that the group retired for a bowl of kava where Kahan had brief personal conversations with Senior Collector of Customs, Mr Rokodovu and Collector of Customs Mr Saukuru. After that Taimud and Shariff drove to Carpenters Shipping to fetch the freight sheet. This was then delivered to Mahendra Rao at the Customs Office. There appeared to be a difference of $1500 between the amount showed for the freight on the original supplier’s invoice from the UK and the bill of lading. This required an additional duty payment of $973.75 which Shariff queued up to pay.
Mahendra Rao then threw a huge spanner into the process by insisting that he had to personally conduct an evaluation of the container before releasing it. By now it was 3:30 in the afternoon and the working day was over. The container would be examined the next day, Friday. When Shariff returned to his office at Speedy Clearance, Taimud Dean, Ratu Mo and Kahan were anxiously waiting for him. The clearly disappointed and troubled trio had no choice, but to return the next day.
On Friday, Speedy Clearance sent a clerk, Sarjit Singh, to Customs in order to get the container released from Carpenters Shipping. As the day dragged on Shariff called someone by the name of Ali at Customs and was told that the delay was because no examining officers were available. Shariff then called Rokodovu and was told that an officer would be made available that afternoon. This time the wait at Speedy Clearance involved five men: Ralph Kahan, Taimud Dean, Ratu Mosese Tuisawau and two army officers. Shariff joined them as a brown truck finally arrived with the precious container.
Unfortunately, the truck could not unload the container at Speedy Clearance because the road leading into the yard was too narrow. Kahan then suggested that they unload at Nagans Steel Rolling Mill in Ba. Rao consulted his boss by phone before agreeing to move the container to Ba. When they arrived at the venue, the container was unloaded, but there was no forklift and associated gear to assist with removing the heavy metal seal and inspecting the contents. Kahan mentioned that since there was no gear and since the seal was intact, they could conduct the inspection on Monday.
Custom’s Officer Mahendra Rao, who had accompanied the consignment to Ba, looked at the heavy seal, spoke to the watchman in Nagan’s yard, returned with another padlock and secured the container with that for added security. The whole group then agreed to return on Monday for the final inspection and handover. Little did they know that a huge surprise would await them on Monday as the international trickster wielded his magic once more that Saturday.
When they arrived on Monday, the container had already been opened and Kahan was casually waiting for the final documents to be signed. When asked why he had opened the container without authorisation, he nonchalantly responded that the forklift was available on Saturday, and he had to use it. When pushed further on why the contents had been removed, he said that Ratu Mo was no longer willing to buy the “lathes” that were in it. There was nothing beyond that as the container had been opened and the contents had vanished.
Under ordinary circumstances, there would have been repercussions because this was official business that could only be handled by authorised customs officials. Unfortunately, the circumstances were extraordinary. Fiji was in the thrall of a political coup d’état and different groups were jockeying to dive at the cornucopia of promised opportunities that popped up for grabs. A salient but intense power struggle was ominously submerged below this because only with power could the obvious naked greed at play be brought under control.
The outmanoeuvred and beleaguered Customs officials thus had little choice, but to shake their heads in resignation and drive back to Lautoka while Kahan’s team (now including an Ahmed Ali) got into his rental car and drove triumphantly to another destination to finally rendezvous with the long-awaited crates. They were now free to embark onto the next stage of their daring, destructive and deadly campaign into the unknown.
We will focus next week on what happened after the contents of the container were removed. Until then, sa moce toka mada va’lekaleka.
DR SUBHASH APPANNA is a senior USP academic who has been writing regularly on issues of historical and national significance. The views expressed here are his alone and not necessarily shared by this newspaper or his employers subhash.appana@usp.ac.fj
