vlad.tribnet.com / Issue #610 / Crime watch / Reading article...

The captain of a North Korean tanker who bribed a Russian worker to fill up additional 100 tons of fuel into his vessel was detained and fined by a Russian court, prosecutors reported Wednesday.

The investigation proved that during the Yu Jong 2’s docking in the port of Slavyanka, in southern Primorye, the captain persuaded a local fueling company assistant to fill up extra fuel in the ship’s secret reservoir for the $45,000 bribe.

After the fuel was pumped into the ship tanks, the captain intentionally did not include it in the cargo customs declaration.

During the vessel inspection, customs officers found a hidden tank which was not shown in the ship blueprints. The cost of the confiscated fuel was estimated at over 1.6 million rubles ($66,667).

The court of Khasansky County found the captain guilty of paying a bribe and attempting to smuggle fuel from Russia to N. Korea. At the preliminary investigation and the trial, the captain fully pleaded guilty, the statement said.

According to the statement from Primorye’s Prosecutor’s office, the captain is to pay a fine of 185,000 rubles ($7,700).