The Sabah Customs Department building has become a new landmark in the state, which not only has a modern design, but also able to withstand any earthquake that measures up to seven on the Richter scale.

Finance Minister Lim Guan Eng said the RM66.6 million eight-storey building took an additional year to complete so as to comply with seismic requirements.

"The building was initially scheduled to be ready by April 2017, but it was only completed in July this year to enable the building to really withstand earthquakes," he said when officiating the opening of the building here yesterday.

Lim said work on the building began in December 2014 with an allocation of RM84.6 million but the project developer had managed to save almost RM20 million in costs.

He also expressed hope that the staff of the Sabah Customs Department could further improve their performance by working as a team with full trust and integrity in improving revenue and combating smuggling activities.

"A beautiful building should have staff with excellent performance. I hope the Sabah Customs could set good example for others," he added.