How can a carrier protect itself from customs authority charges?
Maritime lawyer at Stepanov and Aksyuk Law Firm (Associated Office of GRATA International in Rostov-on-Don, Russia) Ekaterina Smykova told how a carrier can protect itself from charges from customs authorities.
Often, customs authorities try to blame the carrier for reporting false information about cargo weight, quantity, labeling, name, etc.
Responsibility for entering false information into shipping documents submitted to the customs authority is provided for in Part 3 of Article 16.1. Code of Administrative Offenses of the Russian Federation. The sanction of the article provideswarningoroverlayfineper individual in the amount of up to 2,500 rubles with or without confiscation of goods, orconfiscation of items of an administrative offense.
How can you protect yourself from being charged?