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The Government of the Republic of Serbia

In the service of citizens

Significant increase in number of uncovered customs violations

Belgrade, 6 February 2007

Director of the Serbian Customs Administration Dragan Jerinic said today that, despite the reduction in the number of customs employees and larger number of passengers at customs checkpoints, there has been a significant increase in the number of uncovered customs violations.

Dragan Jerinic at today's press conference

Author: Fonet

Jerinic told a press conference that in 2005 the rate of customs duties was raised 12 times against 2001, and customs revenues worth RSD 220 billion were realised.

He pointed to the fact that the twofold increase in the value of confiscated and temporarily confiscated testifies to the level of uncovering and controlling customs violations in the period from 2004 to 2006, against the period from 2001 to 2003.

In 2006, 20 tonnes of confiscated cigarettes were destroyed, which is three times more than the previous year, said Jerinic, and added that the Customs Administration appropriated more than 200,000 various kinds of goods during the last three years to safeguard intellectual property rights.

According to Jerinic, there was a major increase in uncovering smuggling of heroin from 2004 to 2006, and other types of drugs were also confiscated at all important border crossings, which confirms the fact that this success is due to a more efficient system and not accidental.

He stressed that electronic submission of customs documents and automatic approval of declarations were introduced to modernise customs administration.

He recalled that border crossings Batrovci, Horgos and Sid were reconstructed, and announced that it is planned that 20 more border crossings will be reconstructed, and priority will be given to Presevo, Mali Zvornik, Sremska Raca, Badovnici, Kotroman and Bogojevo.

Jerinic also stressed that there is no “customs mafia”, rather the problem is presented by individuals within the customs staff, and added that the Customs Administration is doing a good job regarding the reduction of corruption and crime.

He warned that in as much as organised crime does exist, there are individuals also among other departments and structures who should be revealed and arrested, and only if this is achieved it might be said that the state is seriously fighting crime.

According to Jerinic, the consequences of suitable changes in the customs service during the previous three years have been felt by every third customs employee, either through disciplinary or legal action.

In the last three operations, the police arrested only customs officers, although the declaration on basis of which the arrest was made, contained information on the sender, owner of the goods, shipper and the person who made the guarantees, Jerinic said and asked about their responsibility.

Jerinic said that it is a paradox that in neighbouring countries and relevant international institutions the Customs Administration enjoys a very high reputation that it built over the past five years, while in Serbia and its media it is seen as some kind of mafia organisation.

He said that the customs service in Serbia is more than successful when compared to the conditions it works in and its financial resources. He underlined that it received acknowledgments from the World Bank and other international institutions, as well as from customs services of neighbouring countries.