'Sponsors of 'counterfeiters' will face criminal charges'

Emarati sponsors of companies that import contraband or counterfeit products will face criminal charges, said Yusuf Al Sahlawi, executive director of Dubai Customs.

Al Sahlawi called on Emiratis to control the activities of companies under their sponsorship regardless of the amount of sponsorship money received by them.

This came during a recent ‘Rouh Al Qanoon’ (Spirit of the Law) programme presented by lawyer Eisa bin Haider on Noor Dubai Radio.

The programme discussed the role of Customs in the fight against counterfeit goods.

Al Sahlawi denied rumours that the Customs Department has no control over UAE free zones. He said Customs has full authority over goods imported by companies operating in the free zones.

UAE free zones are subject to the unified customs laws of the Gulf Cooperation Council (GCC), particularly on prohibited goods such as drugs and weapons, Al Sahlawi said.

As an example, he said Dubai Customs took legal action against a company that imported expired medicines and the owner of the company was sentenced to seven years in prison even though the drugs were in transit and were to be re-exported to another country, he said.

Al Sahlawi said counterfeit products can be found in the market because 85 per cent of the imported goods are not inspected by Customs. Not more than 15 per cent of the goods imported are inspected by the best Customs anywhere in the world, he said.

He pointed out that between 12 to 15 million containers pass through Dubai Customs per year. Inspection of all the containers will need a huge army of inspectors which is not practicable, he said.

Al Sahlawi said Customs of UAE in general and Dubai in particular use the latest detection devices, including a device called IBM for detection of illegal and fake goods and a  device  called GT 200 for drugs.

He said Dubai Customs helps traders by releasing goods within 20 seconds except suspected containers.

Dubai Customs contributes 26 per cent of the budget of the government of the emirate, he added.

He said Dubai Customs supports legitimate trade but some traders try to make gains at the expense of the emirate’s economy and security. Though Dubai imposes customs duty of only five per cent, some traders resort to under-invoicing to reduce the amount of customs duty payable, he said.

According to the Customs Act, Dubai Customs has the right to claim tariff on imported goods within 15 years of releasing goods if any attempt to evade paying customs duty is noticed, he said.

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