Tiraspol, 24 November. /Novosti Pridnestrovya/. Since 23 October Pridnestrovie's Investigation Committee (IC) has been conducted a pre-investigation check on the information published on 26 September 2015 by the Pridnestrovie newspaper in the article «How a billion dollars was stolen from Pridnestrovians».
Following the check, criminal proceedings have been instituted over the prevention of lawful business activities, the IC press office reports.
It has been established that in the period from 2006 to 2011 the State Customs Committee adopted instructions «On granting benefits to the Sheriff company» and «On customs clearance of individual commodities imported by the Sheriff company» in pursuance of which a special status was introduced for this company — «special importer». The same instructions imposed a ban on imports of ethyl alcohol, cigarettes and cigars to Pridnestrovie for all economic entities but the Sheriff Company.
Besides, Sheriff was exempted from excise taxes, customs duties and other taxes and fees related to foreign economic activities when importing the following commodities to Pridnestrovie: ethyl alcohol; cigarettes, cigarillos, cigars; construction materials and other consumer goods. Over this period of time the total sum of benefits granted to the Sheriff Company amounted to $928 million, $64 million of which accounts for excise taxes and $864 million for import duties.
«Thus, proceeding from the check, in the period from 2006 to 2011 lawful rights and interests of individual businessmen and commercial organisations of all types to conduct foreign economic activities were restricted except for those of the Sheriff Company. The state incurred heavy losses through unpaid customs duties and other taxes," says the IC.
The course of the investigation will be further reported.
Besides, Pridnestrovie's IC requests business entities whose lawful rights to perform foreign economic activities were restricted to file claims to Pridnestrovie's law enforcement agencies in order to initiate a check on the above mentioned facts.
