Shell company with no warehouse was used only for import and customs clearance of food products, mainly confectionary goods from Turkey being sold by company from Skopje, which, by using false information avoided payment of customs duties and tax.
 
Customs Administration brought criminal charges against five parsons to the Public Prosecution Office in Skopje for “customs fraud and tax evasion”.
 
Investigating judge pronounced detention sentence to three persons out of the five suspected ones, being on the run, and preventive measure for ensuring presence by seizing passport of one of the suspects.
 
– Detecting and preventing cases of tax and customs duties evasion is continuous activity of the Customs Administration. Customs Administration carried out several large-scale actions, thus saving significant budget funds, contributing at the same time to reducing crime and grey economy, Vice Prime Minister and Minister of Finance, Zoran Stavreski said at today’s press conference held in the Customs Administration’s building.
 
He pointed out that in the period 2007-2010 on the basis of actions undertaken by the Customs Administration, 980 cases were examined with foreign customs administrations on the basis of suspicion for underreporting customs clearance amount.
 
– On the basis of such examinations, it was determined as for 152 cases, the submitted invoices included amounts lower than the actually realized ones, and it was also determined that crime “customs fraud and tax evasion” was committed. 206 criminal charges were brought against 197 legal entities and 229 natural persons, avoiding payment of customs duties in the total amount of Denar 305 million, Vice Prime Minister Stavreski said.
 
He pointed out that in the period 2004-206, 337 requests for additional examination were submitted and only 90 criminal charges were brought against 88 legal entities and 105 natural persons for avoiding the payment of customs duties in the amount of Denar 63,645,464. This, according to him, is proof that fight against crime and grey economy is now conducted much more fiercely and more vigorously, yielding palpable results.
 
Director of Customs Administration Vanco Kargov clarified that in the period 2007-2009, the shell company and the company selling the goods declared lower amounts in invoices as basis for payment of import duties from Turkey, whereby Customs Administration, by carrying out examination with the foreign customs services determined that in 109 cases invoices submitted amounted to US$ 1,784,214 as opposed to the examined real values in the amount of US$ 4,705,413.
 
– In cooperation with PRO and by redeveloping the overall activity of these two companies, it was identified that they avoided paying customs duties in the amount of around Denar 24 million and VAT in the amount of around Denar 20 million, part of which at import, and part on the basis of sales in the country. Together with the interest on unpaid customs duties and VAT, the total amount accounted for almost Denar 58 million, Kargov said.
 
He explained that natural person manager of legal entity from Skopje was organizer of the whole operation. Upon his order and for his needs, other person from Tetovo established shell company in Skopje, used only for import customs clearance of different food goods originating from Turkey. They avoided payment of customs duties and tax through this shell company, by using false information. The shell company has no employees, it made no payments to suppliers, it has no warehouse, however it imported goods, even two to three trunks with goods arrived weekly, being directly sent for unloading in the warehouses of the legal entity from Skopje.
– The goods arrived was entered outside the accounting records, and as for part of the goods, the book-keeper carried out re-invoicing so as to show physical and financial entry in the real bookkeeping records. Other goods which he did not record, was sold in cash by two employees in the company from Skopje, giving false information on their revenues, not reporting any income, thus committing criminal deed tax evasion, Kargov pointed out.
 
Answering to journalist’s question, Director of Customs Administration said that given the so-far facts, this case does not have any connection with the companies in the case “Pajazina” (“Spider web”). (MIA)
