Corruption Risks in Customs Administration: How the Media and Civil Society Can Monitor Them
Automatically translated summary. The full text is available in Romanian.
A study by the Independent Think Tank “Expert-Grup”, supported by the National Endowment for Democracy, examines corruption in customs administration in the Republic of Moldova. It describes the consequences and forms of corruption, assesses current risks, proposes statistical monitoring methods for civil society and the media, and offers public policy recommendations.
Import revenues account for over half of Moldova’s tax revenues, and the World Bank estimates that over 30% of import revenues in developing countries are lost to corruption. In 2020, export clearance took seven times longer than in the EU and import clearance three times longer. Nearly every second small or medium-sized importer reported corruption-related difficulties. Electronic clearance reduced corrupt behaviour, but problems persist, and the Court of Accounts found weaknesses in customs valuation and post-clearance control.
The study suggests that civil society and the media can use mirror statistics, comparison with bank payment data and the commodity flow method to detect potentially fraudulent trade flows. Recommendations include faster digitalisation, full use of ASYCUDA World, greater accountability and professionalisation of customs staff, better information exchange between authorities, and platforms for complaints between customs and the private sector.
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