Diamond dealer sells jewellery illegally in Helsinki hotel
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An Israeli diamond and jewellery entrepreneur has sold imported jewellery items illegally in a Helsinki hotel for years. The jewels were bought by private individuals staying in the same hotel.
The man, in his fifties, sold jewellery worth around EUR 130,000 worth. In the transactions, an import duty of around EUR 29,000 was evaded.
“The importer told the customs that he was bringing the jewellery into Finland only as samples for demonstration purposes, which meant they were declared as temporary imports. No importation tax was paid on the items”, explains customs chief inspector Tero Muurman of the Southern Customs District, who is in charge of the investigation.
Items cleared as temporary imports have to be taken out of the country by the set deadline. Selling the items is also possible, so long as this is reported to the Customs officials for the purpose of imposing the correct import duties.
The Southern Customs District has looked into the illegal diamond importation from Israel into Finland in 2001-2007. The man suspected of aggravated tax evasion is known to have visited Finland even before that.
The importer stayed overnight in Finland in the same hotel where he sold on the jewellery. His trading with a steady clientèle went on regularly for years.
In the preliminary investigation, nine people living permanently in Finland have been heard. They stayed in the hotel during the transactions. From the clients, most of the jewels ended up in the capital area pawnshops, where they were exchanged for cash.
Helsingin Sanomat
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| 6.6.2008 - TODAY |
 Diamond dealer sells jewellery illegally in Helsinki hotel
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