The officials, mostly customs officers in Cambodia's northwestern Banteay Meanchey province bordering Thailand, took bribes from merchants and allowed them to import right-hand-drive cars, which are illegal here.

Nine high-ranking customs officials and the police chief would be suspended from their posts for six months without salary, said Om Yentieng, chairman of the government's anti-corruption unit.

Since March, Cambodia has banned the import of right-hand-drive vehicles.

The nine customs officials and the police chief recently helped merchants bring some 800 right-hand-drive cars to the kingdom, Om Yentieng said, adding the remaining 29 customs officers netted for corrupt activities would be transferred to other posts.

Impoverished Cambodia is plagued by corruption at almost every level of government, and the misuse of international funds has been a major concern of foreign donors.

Cambodia was ranked 151 out of 163 countries in the anti-corruption watchdog Transparency International's 2006 Corruption

Perceptions Index, and was hit by a number of corruption scandals this year, including the discovery of massive graft involving millions of dollars in World Bank projects.

Its parliament has yet to pass draft anti-corruption legislation that has been a demand of the kingdom's donors.