"Cigarette theft from the Free Zone of the Port of Bar continued continuously"

The theft of cigarettes from the warehouse in the Free Customs Zone of the Port of Bar lasted continuously from December 28, 2021 to February 2, 2022, the Revenue and Customs Administration reiterated, thus confirming the writing of Vijesta.

"On the occasion of the last theft of cigarettes, by the Decision of the Head of the Authority No. I/1-3255/2-22 of 08.02.2022/11/XNUMX, eight customs officers of the PJ Customs House Bar were suspended and against them a proposal was submitted for the initiation of disciplinary proceedings in order to determine individual responsibilities, because of the damage caused to the Budget of Montenegro, estimated at close to XNUMX million euros, which is a direct consequence of this theft," the UPC announced.

"Cigarette theft continued continuously, indicatively, only in one shift, and this indicates that the theft had serious forms of organization, which will be proven in the proceedings before the competent authorities," the announcement reads.

That institution points out that their answer is known - the suspension of eight officials until the individual responsibility of each of them is determined.

"The stolen amount of 11.349 packages was not in the process of permitted customs handling or use of goods. We believe that this is a reflection of individuals among the vast majority of professional, customs officials in the UPC, of ​​integrity, which is why collective responsibility should not be imputed to the Revenue and Customs Administration. Attention all of employees at the UPC is at the highest possible level, in order to prevent the degree of risk and consequences of possible new thefts. The competences of the UPC are clear, but our capacities are also limited. In addition, we will make every effort to prevent these cases from happening again. Also, we are at the disposal of all state bodies for all forms of future cooperation," said the UPC.

They pointed out that they take all measures and actions to implement customs and other regulations, which apply to goods under customs control, for all goods that legally and lawfully enter or leave SCZ Bar.

"Specifically, already in the first half of December 2021, the officials of the customs office of the Free Zone Bar were ordered, after a long series of years, to immediately control the entry and amount of goods at the main gate of the Free Customs Zone of the Port, all with the aim of preventing and eliminating illegal occurrences. This was the first step in the direction of increased attention and preventive actions, to prevent possible illegal events within the scope of our capacities and competences," the UPC announced.

They explain that on January 1, the status of active users ceased for users who had permission to sell tobacco products in SCZ Luka Bar:

"According to the Decision of the Government of Montenegro on the ban on the storage of tobacco products on the territory of the SCZ Port of Bar (Official Gazette 143/2021) and in accordance with the Instruction of the Revenue and Customs Administration No. 8447/2-2021 dated 05.01.2022, the procedure for canceling the previously approved records".

Repeating that they are not the only responsible institution in the functioning of state bodies, they explained that the warehouse from which 11.349 packs of cigarettes, of different brands, were stolen over a long period of time, and in the end a total of XNUMX packs of cigarettes, of various brands, were stolen with extra care.

"On January 01.01.2022, 379841, a customs stamp - customs seal A38 was placed on the gate of the warehouse in question, in order to provide additional security for the goods in the private warehouse, in accordance with Article XNUMX of the Law on Customs Service," they said.