Customs men and businessmen merge in ecstasy
Customs is considered the most corrupt department in Russia. Last month, in a cabinet meeting, President Putin asked, “When are we going to create order on the border?" When are we going to stop the practice when customs units and businessmen merge in economic ecstasy at most of the border crossing points?" What followed was the arrest of some senior customs officers. Now the President has transferred the Customs department to the Prime Minister. He has put the department directly under the Prime Minister hoping to bring in some order control and discipline in the department. Ten customs officials were charged with involvement in car smuggling; another senior customs official was detained Thursday in Moscow on charges of fraud involving goods imported from Georgia.
On the Presidential order transferring the department, a political analyst said, “a bureaucrat's only tool is corruption. So things will just go on as they have before."
Corruption and abuse of power, which hamper trade and taint Russia's investment reputation, have been a major headache for all post-Soviet governments. Putin and his predecessor Boris Yeltsin made several failed attempts to get the customs service under control.
And you thought the Indian Customs was bad!