Customs officials suspect TradeVISA of not delivering goods to the point of destination.
Photo: Vasily Alexandrov
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Automobile Carriers Suspected of Short-Cutting
Russian customs authorities on Thursday filed 40 lawsuits against the Association of International Automobile Carriers worth $2.4 million. Customs officials suspect the company of not delivering goods to the point of destination. Finnish carriers are believed to have committed most of the violations.
The Russian Federal Customs Service on Thursday filed 40 suits against the Association of International Automobile Carriers (TradeVISA) to the total of $2.4 million at the Moscow Court of Arbitration, according to a statement on the court’s official web-site. A Kommersant source in the agency says legal action has been taken because “carriers and TradeVISA do meet requirements in paying customs duties as well as goods delivery under procedures of the international carriage of goods”.
Carriers have to pay import duties and taxes in case foreign goods have not been delivered to the customs point. However, customs brokers or insurers may carry the burden of payment in case the goods have not been delivered, according to the Convention on the Contract for International Carriage of Goods.
The Convention provides for streamlined procedures of crossing the border. TradeVISA is the national union with 1,500 members that provides this kind of services.
Russian customs officials went to court, claiming that TradeVISA has not fulfilled its obligations. Authorities want the company to pay fines for non-delivery of goods. The agency says Finnish carriers account for the largest part violations where goods which have not reached the point of destination.
Alexey Vasilkov, vice-president of TradeVISA, said in an interview with Kommersant that the flurry of lawsuits was a real surprise for the company. He said TradVISA and Federation Customs Service’s head Andrey Belyaninov had already discussed the issued with some and problems had already been solved.
First court hearings are due in April.
www.kommersant.com
All the Article in Russian as of Mar. 23, 2007
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