The Moscow Region Customs and Sheremetyevo Customs of the Russian Federation Customs Service conducted in-house inspections of medical equipment shipment to the Russian Federation by a federal medical equipment supplier. As a result of in-house inspections, a total of 18 shipments of goods were found to have been illegally moved across the customs border of the EEU and a decision was made on the in-house customs inspection to additionally collect customs payments. The goals that we had to achieve under the project were: advisory legal services, advocacy of the client during customs inspections, appeals against decisions of customs authorities on additional customs duties, changes in the Customs commodity code of imported goods, advocacy during administrative investigations by customs authorities.            

The Head of Customs Law Practice prepared and filed a complaint to the Moscow Region Arbitration Court and Moscow City Arbitration Court against the decision of in-house customs inspections of Sheremetyevo Customs and the Moscow Regional Customs of the FCS RF. Similar situations of the Client's foreign economic activity (customs compliance) were analyzed. Two cases are won in two courts.

The complexity of the project also lies in the fact that the medical equipment transported by the Client across the customs border of the EEU is unique, produced by the only manufacturer in the United States. RI-Consulting managed to win cases in favor of the Client and prevent the Federal Customs Service of Russia from extending the law enforcement practice on this case to all imports of this medical equipment by all participants in foreign economic activity over the past 3 years. Reputational risks are minimized. The risk of bringing the Client to administrative and criminal liability is minimized. 

The project is important not only for the Client, but for all participants in foreign economic activity that supply medical equipment to the Russian Federation. The efforts and professionalism of the Head of the Customs Law Practice created a successful precedent for similar disputes with the customs authorities.