OREANDA-NEWS. October 12, 2012. This is stipulated by amendments to the Criminal and Customs Code approved by the government. According to Tudor Balitchi, the matter concerns the drastic change in the system of sanctioning for contraband, namely transition from criminal penalty to tough economic sanctions.

The sanctions will include the fine at an amount of 100% of the value of the contraband lot and confiscation of contraband goods and vehicles transporting them. According to Tudor Balitchii, the new approach was chosen as the result of an analysis of 92 criminal cases initiated between 2009-2011 and heard in courts. As the analysis showed, only in 20% of the cases those guilty were sentenced to imprisonment, but conditionally only. In 56.6% of cases they were imposed economic sanctions with the maximum fine being 12 thousand leis.

Although the goods were smuggled at a sum of 122 mln leis in total, they were confiscated at a sum of 17.8 mln leis, or 15% only. All these factors urged customers to transit to the new strategy of sanctioning, namely to the fine at an amount of 100% of the value of the goods smuggled. As the head of the Customs Service stressed, all smuggled goods are to be confiscated immediately.

The rate of the fine will be flat - 100% - to follow the principle of impartiality since the fines used to vary from 40% to 100%. Up to date in line with the Criminal Code contraband was punished by a fine at an amount of 120 to 300 conventional units or unpaid socially useful work for 180 to 240 hours or imprisonment for up to 2 years.

Legal entities were fined 1000 to 3000 c.u. and revoked licenses from. Contraband of goods means movement of goods and other values in large amounts through the border of Moldova bypassing customs checkpoints or hiding goods and values in special places or using false documents or means of customs identification or non-declaring or declaring goods and values in an improper way.

According to Tudor Balitchi, only contraband of narcotics, psychotropic means, weapons and cultural values will be subject to the criminal penalty.