Citizens May Be Arrested if They Obstruct Customs Officials

Citizens who violate customs regulations may be arrested if they obstruct the actions of customs officials. Today, the Permanent Commission on Economic Affairs of the National Assembly of Armenia proposed amendments and changes to the "Customs Regulation Law."

The proposed changes aim to clarify and make the grounds for administrative arrest for breaches of customs regulations more precise and applicable.

The main reporter, Arthur Manukyan, Deputy Head of the State Revenue Committee of Armenia, noted that the amendments would specifically define the behavioral rules in customs control zones, and that there would be responsibilities in case of violations.

“According to the current law, an administrative record of a customs violation can only be established if the person's identity is not identified, but this is a scenario that rarely occurs in practice. Therefore, it is almost impossible to apply administrative measures to an offender,” he said.

Under the proposed changes, a warning will be issued for a first-time violation of the regulations, while a fine of 200,000 drams will be imposed if a violation occurs again within six months. Additionally, the administrative arrest period will change from the previous three days to six hours.

The commission voted in favor of these legislative amendments. The draft has been sent for approval to the plenary session of the National Assembly of Armenia.