WITH DEFICIENCES OF VIEW
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The effects of corruption in the customs administration involve a series of risks, some of which are important for the Republic of Moldova, such as the missed collection of revenues in the public budget.
These and other conclusions were presented on July 21, during a round table organized by the "Expert-Group" Independent Analytical Center, in which the representative of the Court of Accounts of the Republic of Moldova also participated.
During the event, were presented the results of the study "Corruption risks in the field of customs administration: how the press and civil society can monitor them", carried out with the support of the National Endowment for Democracy (NED).
The purpose of the event was to publicly debate, together with representatives of public authorities, civil society and experts, the legislative and institutional gaps that create premises and risks of corruption in the field of customs administration. Recommendations for the media and civil society regarding monitoring and measuring the phenomenon of corruption were also discussed.
The participants of the round table were informed about the findings and consequences of corrupt behavior in customs and the forms that corruption can take in customs administration.
When preparing the mentioned study, a series of documents were consulted, including the reports of the Court of Accounts. Thus, the Court of Accounts found that a significant number of declarations are subject to the determination of the customs value by the "reserve" method, without the other methods provided for by the legislation being applied consecutively and without the automated identification of transactions with an increased risk of customs undervaluation. Another problem identified by the Court of Accounts is the lack of adequate post-clearance control. Also, the audit found that in the context of the import of humanitarian aid with the granting of fiscal facilities, there were situations when the goods declared as humanitarian aid did not meet the criteria established in the normative framework. Inconsistencies were also found between different normative acts that regulate the activity of the Customs Service, but which have already been corrected.
Petru Rotaru, Member of the CoARM reiterated that, according to the Compliance Audit Report on the administration of the state budget by the Customs Service in 2019, the Court of Accounts found the presence of some irregularities and vulnerabilities, which significantly reduce the degree of compliance of the customs administration, having an impact on the level of revenue collection in the state budget, and the compliant exercise of the role of revenue administrator.
Also, Mr. Rotaru mentioned that in the current year, the Court of Accounts is carrying out an audit "Audit on the compliance of the administration of public revenues by the Customs Service in the years 2020-2021, including the customs facilities". In this context, the CoARM’s auditors have identified some reservations in certain sectors, namely, in the chapter on the administration of customs revenues, reported the Member of the Court of Accounts.
