The State Revenue Committee Clarifies Publication Titled 'Incident at the Bagratashen Border Crossing'

The State Revenue Committee of Armenia finds it necessary to clarify the publication titled 'Incident at the Bagratashen Border Crossing' on the Aravot.am website. Before detailing the circumstances of the incident described in the article, the Committee emphasizes that according to the EAEU Customs Code, citizens are required to declare items that do not fall under personal use goods. However, the driver of the vehicle did not comply with the legal request of the customs officer, and the vehicle was taken out of the customs control area along with the goods.

Regarding the details of the incident, the State Revenue Committee informs that on May 11, 2024, at approximately 07:18, a light passenger vehicle of the make 'CHRYSLER 300' arrived at the Bagratashen border crossing point, driven by an Armenian citizen, A.G. During the current customs control of the vehicle, it was found that there were various types of goods present, and the vehicle was sent to a designated area for detailed inspection, during which the driver provided the vehicle’s registration certificate.

During this time, a passenger of the vehicle, Armenian citizen M.A., arrived with his accompanying luggage. In response to the customs officer's question about whether he had goods subject to declaration, citizen M.A. answered affirmatively. Subsequently, the customs inspector also accompanied him to the area designated for detailed inspection.

As a result of the inspection, based on the provisions of Article 256, Clause 4 of the EAEU Customs Code and considering the frequency, quantity, and nature of the goods imported by these citizens, the transported goods did not qualify as personal use items. Therefore, the customs officers proposed to citizens M.A. and A.G. to declare the goods in accordance with the prescribed legal procedures (including making the requisite payments) or to hand over the goods to the customs authorities for temporary storage, to declare them later. Instead, these citizens transported the goods into the vehicle and drove towards the exit from the customs control area, where the customs officer offered them to return the vehicle to the customs control zone and fulfill the legal request of the customs authority. The driver, failing to comply with the legal request of the customs officer, drove the vehicle along with the goods out of the customs control area.

In connection with the incident, the customs authorities created a record of the violation of customs rules based on Articles 302 and 307 of the Armenian Law on Customs Regulation, during which the customs authority kept the relevant document (the registration certificate) and created a corresponding record.

The next day, citizen M.A. appeared at the border crossing point requesting the vehicle’s registration certificate. He was informed that the registration certificate had been taken within the scope of an administrative procedure and would be provided to the owner or an authorized person upon application. Furthermore, with the written consent of the mentioned citizens, the Committee is willing to publish the frequency, nature, and quantity of the goods imported by them, which would clarify the legitimacy of the customs authority's actions towards these citizens.