Trucks held up in Russia allowed to return to Finland

Despite promises, some vehicles remain at standstill at customs terminals on Russian side

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Finnish trucks held up in Russia have been given permission to return to Finland. The Russian militia, or police, released the remaining Finnish trucks held in quarantine last weekend.
      Despite the permission to return the unclear situation continues, however.
      Some of the trucks of Finnish haulage companies remain stranded at the customs terminals on the Russian side, as the Russian Customs have not acknowledged the release order from the militia.
      Initially, the number of held-up trucks was estimated at 70, but the Finnish Transport and Logistics (SKAL) and the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs have since become aware of only 11 vehicles held in custody.
      Some Finnish trucks have been held behind the eastern border for up to a month and a half.
     
The trucks were held up because of claims by Russian Customs officials that the vehicles had been used to bring in goods without appropriate customs clearances in the autumn of 2004. In all, 659 shipments by 18 Finnish carriers were under suspicion at that time.
      Because of the customs offence suspicions, a warrant of apprehension was declared on around a hundred vehicles. The militia would then confiscate the trucks as evidence.
      In Finland the practice caused irritation, as the drivers were not given any explanation of the reason for the seizure. The trucks were simply ordered to stay put by the side of the road. The drivers had no other choice but to remain with the vehicles to guard the cargo.
      Trucks were also stopped because of the appearance on a Customs list of their licence plates, despite the fact that the ownership of some of the vehicles had already changed.
     
According to Veikko Kurronen, who is in charge of TIR transports at SKAL, the whole squabble boils down to the Russian customs employees' attempt to defraud the haulage companies.
      "They had duped the Finns by giving them wrong stamps and certifications". Kurronen claims.
      At the end of the criminal investigation, the companies were given a fine of just under EUR 9,000 plus an order to pay the customs payments and taxes in arrears. Kurronen explains that SKAL has managed to overturn four out of five cases in the Russian courts, because they have fallen under the statute of limitations.
      "The remaining 20 percent are cases that need to be looked into in greater detail", Kurronen says.
     
When looking into the matter, the Finnish Ministry for Foreign Affairs has received answers from the Russian authorities, according to which the conduct of the militia in the context of the confiscations has been in accordance with Russian law.
      The Ministry's head of unit for Russia, Olli Perheentupa, is anything but satisfied with the Russian conduct.
      "It is clear that this kind of practice hinders the transport industry. There are many ways to investigate customs offences. This is probably not the best one", Perheentupa points out.
      Behind the dispute may also be the Russian Customs attempt to make a statement in an attempt to send a deterrent message to smugglers, Perheentupa believes. A considerable amount of goods is generally believed to enter Russia without any kind of customs clearance.


Previously in HS International Edition:
  Dozens of Finnish trucks stopped in Russia - forged documents suspected (28.10.2005)
  New Nuijamaa border crossing will not open before next summer (9.11.2005)

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