The case of importing scrap in Dong Thap: Trung Thanh Company stopped running business for nearly 3 years

Customs authorities are continuing to verify many businesses show signs of violations in importing scraps. Photo: Ngoc Linh.

Through a discussion with Customs News reporter, the information source of Criminal Investigation Unit – Unit 7 (Anti-smuggling and Investigation Department – General Department of Vietnam Customs) stated that, after conducting continuously the investigation and verification of violation cases about importing scrap, the unit has already and continued verifying many cases.

For the Trung Thanh Export Import Services Trading Company Limited (Trung Thanh Company for short – located at Dong Thap province), after verifying and investigating, the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department (General Department of Vietnam Customs) found that the company had stopped running a business nearly 3 years ago.

“This company having stopped running their business caused difficulty for the collection of dossiers and documents. Currently, the Anti-Smuggling and Investigation Department has coordinated with competent force to continue verifying this case” – the information stated

It is known that Trung Thanh Company was granted two certificates of eligibility to import scrap (No. 2010 dated 31/12/2013 and No. 2221 dated 19/12/2014) and a certificate of eligibility to import scrap No. 557 dated 11/3/2016 by the Natural Resource and Environment Department of Dong Thap province.

In particular, certificate No. 2221 expired on 19/12/2015, and certificate 557 was signed on 11/3/2016. Thus, during the period from 20/12/2015 to 10/3/2016, Trung Thanh Company was not eligible to import scrap.

However, during this time, a Deputy Director of Department of Natural Resources and Environment in Dong Thap still signed a number of documents informing about the shipment of imported scrap so that Trung Thanh Company could use it to import scrap materials.

Regarding to the procedure of importing scrap for Trung Thanh Company, through the discussion with Customs News reporters, the representative of Cai Mep Customs Branch (Ba Ria-Vung Tau Customs Department) - the unit which directly carried out procedures of importing scrap for Trung Thanh Company - said: During the period from 20/12/2015 to 10/3/2016 (the expiry date of the certificate No. 2221/CN-STNMT dated 19/12/2014 issued by the Natural Resources and Environment Department of Dong Thap Province to Trung Thanh Company), at the Branch, there were 9 import declarations of Trung Thanh Company, with a total of 12 containers of imported scrap containing 218.69 tons, which was mainly plastic scrap.

In order to carry out customs procedures for those shipments, Cai Mep Customs Branch has based on two documents, including: Official Letter No. 2598/TCMT-KSON dated 16/11/2015 of the General Department of Environment (Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment) on the import of scraps while carrying out procedures for granting certificates of eligibility for environmental protection in import scrap, and Official Letter No.11146/TCHQ-GSQL dated 24/12/2015 of the General Department of Vietnam Customs sent to the provincial Customs Departments on the implementation of Circular No. 41/2015/ TT-BTNMT dated 9/9/2015 of the Ministry of Natural Resources and Environment.

Since Trung Thanh Company submitted the dossier to Natural Resources and Environment Department of Dong Thap Province and received confirmation of the Department's documents, therefore, based on the above two guiding documents, the Cai Mep port Customs Branch carried out customs procedures for 9 declarations of importing scraps of enterprises in accordance with the regulations.