Customs processes hundreds of cases of fraudulent origin

Director General of Vietnam Customs Nguyen Van Can spoke at the conference. Photo: Q.H

It is one of the contents of the Director General of Vietnam Customs Nguyen Van Can's speech, member of the National Steering Committee 389 at the National Conference summarising the first six months of 2020 and implementing tasks in the coming time of Steering Committee 138/CP and National Steering Committee 389 that was held on July 23.

Director General of Vietnam Customs Nguyen Van Can emphasised that in the first six months of 2020, the Customs sector discovered and handled more than 9,600 cases of violations on customs law, prosecuted and requested to prosecute 50 cases. In particular, emerging activities of fraud of origin.

For the fraud of Vietnam origin to export to countries, some countries that Vietnam enjoys preferential tariffs and technical barriers under bilateral and multilateral agreements.

As a permanent office of the National Steering Committee 389, the Ministry of Finance (the General Department of Vietnam Customs) has been proactive in developing a plan to fight, arrest and handle hundreds of violations related to fraud of origin and fake Vietnamese origin for export.

For example, plywood products, electric bicycles and solar electric motorcycles with many sophisticated tricks, taking advantage of policy mechanism loopholes.

Customs force decided to confiscate 50,000 counterfeit bicycles and electric bicycles with fraudulent Vietnam origin. The results achieved by Vietnam Customs were highly appreciated by international organisations.

Notably, in the first six months of 2020, Customs forces investigated, verified and identified an enterprise not eligible to grant C/O but this enterprise intentionally granted incorrect C/O for 30 exporters.

The General Department of Vietnam Customs is cooperating with the Investigation Police agency - Ministry of Public Security to verify and strictly handle.

For goods made fraudulent Vietnam origin ineligible for Vietnamese origin but were still granted C/O, the General Department of Vietnam Customs recommended the Ministry of Industry and Trade and (VCCI) revoke C/O granting illegally.

For example, an enterprise declared goods as plywood eligible for granting C/O, but when the Customs force conducted verification, the actual goods were purchased by the enterprise from many farms.

The above enterprise must admit that the goods were not eligible for granting C/O but it was still granted C/O by competent authority.

For goods manufactured by foreign countries but on labels and packaging written as "Made in Vietnam", Customs forces focused on fighting and handling at the border gates.

Suggesting the Ministry of Industry and Trade to amend the rules of origin for domestically manufactured goods, as well as goods with foreign elements manufactured and consumed in Vietnam.

Besides that, the Ministry of Transport had regulations on the ICD, allowing the trading of both import and export goods.

In fact, competent forces discovered and handled a large amount of goods that were traded online at ICD My Dinh but did not implement customs procedures at ICD My Dinh. Thus, it was proposed to build barriers between domestic and import-export goods.

Regarding the trade of petroleum, the regulation of installing gas meters at storage facilities by focal petrol and oil enterprises caused difficulties for competent forces.