Arrests for up to 90 days, severe fines of up to 500,000 euros and prison sentences of six months or more are part of a new comprehensive Finance Ministry bill passed by Parliament yesterday to tackle smuggling fuel.

In fact, the new provisions also provide for decentralized procedures, that is, in addition to the services of the Independent State Revenue Authority, any customs service and any other control or prosecutorial authority can impose prescribed fines.

Under the new provisions:

1. When a controlled license holder is found to own, sell and sell falsified fuel, the object is sealedif a violation is found, within a period of time 10 to 90 days, depending on its severity. Stamping is carried out either by the customs service that carried out the control, or by the customs service whose territorial jurisdiction includes the location of the controlled institution, if the control was carried out by other public control or the prosecutor’s office. If the fact of smuggling is established, these measures are applied regardless of other criminal and administrative sanctions.

2. For any violation of the integrated monitoring systems and electronic sending of input-output data of tax warehouses and customs warehouses for the storage of energy products, creditors, depending on the circumstancesadministrative fine from 1,000 euros to 500,000 euros and revocation of a tax warehouse or bonded warehouse license, as the case may be. The amount of the fine is determined taking into account the type and severity of the violation, as well as recidivism.

Especially:

• In case of absence installation of an integrated system control and electronic sending of input-output data, to the operator of the license for the operation of a warehouse of excisable goods or the manager of a customs warehouse and the license to operate a warehouse of excisable goods or a customs warehouse is cancelled.
• In case of non-compliance with the terms, conditions and specifications for the installation and operation of systems, e.g.monitoring and electronic data transmission inflow and outflow, the operator of the license to operate a tax warehouse or the manager of a customs warehouse and/or the installer of an inflow and outflow control system is fined from 1,000 euros to 300,000 euros and, depending on the circumstances, the license to operate a tax warehouse or a customs warehouse is revoked. warehouse.
• IN case of relapse the penalty is doubled. Recidivism is defined as the repeated commission of the same offense within 3 years from the date of the decision to impose a fine. A decision to impose a fine may be appealed by a person with a legitimate interest to the competent administrative court. Upon filing an appeal, payment of 50% of the fine is suspended, provided that the remaining 50% is paid or repaid.

3. Deprivation of liberty at least 6 months is imposed on anyone who supplies or installs accounting systems and related equipment that are designed to use a monitoring system and electronic sending of input-output data and are accompanied by fake or falsified certificates.

4. Deprivation of liberty is imposed on anyone who tampers without permission, modifies or alters in any way and forms parts or manufactured elements of the system that are stored at the installation site or sent to the AADE central database and supply, supply, supply, sell, store or trade in energy carriers through tanks, pipelines, pumps or meters that are not connected to an established monitoring system and electronic sending of input-output data.