But Musa did not have that level of clarity when we asked him about the customs kickback scheme which we exposed last night.
As you heard, car importers paid a broker just over seven thousand dollars to import a car through the northern border - but the duty paid to government was only three thousand dollars. And where did the other four grand go? Well, that is the bite, allegedly a figure that is kicked back to corrupt customs officers. Now, it's been happening for decades, but -right now, car dealers are saying the bite is too big.
Since last night's story we have heard more than a dozen credible accounts of the bite paid to one specific brokerage agent - being more than half of the total amount paid - meaning the government is getting about 30 -40% of the total amount paid. The rest? Well that's the bite. It adds up to millions of dollars annually - and we will be digging to see where it all goes.
Musa said he has heard his own anecdotal cases:
Kareem Musa, Minister of Labor
"I haven't seen the story, but I've heard a lot of anecdotal cases, like that. And of course, the Customs Department and other departments in government have been prone to this type of corrupt activity for quite some time, and so if there is any credibility behind these reports, it certainly has to be investigated at all levels, including possibly the police department."
