Customs Administration: Eight criminal charges filed, 261 misdemeanor fines issued

Criminal charges were filed against companies and individuals due to suspicion that they used false invoices when importing goods, and based on the results of checking the credibility of documents with exporting countries

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Photo: Customs Administration
Photo: Customs Administration
Disclaimer: The translations are mostly done through AI translator and might not be 100% accurate.

The Customs Administration, in addition to the growth of customs revenues in the first half of the year, also achieved excellent results in combating illegality, so it submitted eight criminal reports to the State Prosecutor's Office and issued 261 misdemeanor fines.

"Compared to the same period last year, criminal reports or notifications to the State Prosecutor's Office have doubled, as there were four last year, and five in 2022," the statement of the Customs Administration states.

Customs Administration
photo: Customs Administration

Criminal charges were filed against companies and individuals due to the suspicion that they used false invoices when importing goods, and based on the results of checking the credibility of the documentation in the exporting countries.

"It is suspected that the suspects used falsified invoices and documents during the importation of goods, thereby trying to avoid paying the appropriate duties, customs and value-added tax (VAT), because the check established that there is a significant difference between the declared and actual value of the imported goods" , explained from the Administration.

When it comes to misdemeanors, by June of this year, 261 were issued for goods with a total value of 378,55 thousand euros. The value of the imposed fine is 202,95 thousand euros.

From the beginning of the year to the present day, in terms of the number of misdemeanor warrants issued, the Dobrakovo 47 customs offices, the Smuggling Suppression Department 33, the Podgorica Terminal 32, Božaj 23, Bar 23 and Dračenovac 22 stand out the most.

In the same period last year, the Customs Administration issued 148 violations for goods worth 191,16 thousand euros, and the fines on that basis amounted to 135,85 thousand euros.

Due to the violation of intellectual property rights, goods worth about 20 thousand euros were confiscated, which is more than in 2022, when it was 2,88 thousand. However, in the same period last year, goods worth 127,87 thousand euros were seized due to infringement of intellectual property rights.

"These fluctuations may reflect changes in trade flows, increased activities of customs officers, bearing in mind that last year the largest volume of detection of counterfeit goods was in the transit procedures of textiles from Turkey through the territory of Montenegro for the final destination in Bosnia and Herzegovina (BiH) . Compared to the same period of the previous year, as a result of increased controls, there was a decrease in the transit of these shipments through the territory of Montenegro," the announcement states.

The Customs Administration, as its representatives said, continues to take all necessary measures to ensure compliance with customs regulations and protection of the interests of the state of Montenegro.

"Also, we show continued commitment to the fight against illegal activities and efficient management of customs revenues, which contributes to the protection of the state's interests and compliance with customs regulations," the announcement concludes.

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