Frightened by sanctions and political persecution, “departing” from Russia abroad tried to illegally take with them more than 150 million rubles – in rubles and foreign currency. Such statistics were presented to Izvestia by the Federal Customs Service (FMS). This is undeclared money in excess of $ 10 thousand and the equivalent in other currencies. Experts say this is due to a quote from the desire of citizens to find a “quieter haven” for their money.
In 2022, there is an increase in the number and volume of violations of illegal cash transfers, commented the FMS. The amount of money that was tried to be smuggled out was 55% higher than in the same period of 2021. From February 24 to March 31 alone, 1,078 such facts were established for a total of 158 million rubles. Last year, according to experts, during the same period, 815 cases of illegal movement of cash for 124 million rubles were detected.
The nature of violations has also changed – in 2022 the vast majority or 890 cases, or about 85% of all facts of violations account for the export of funds. Citizens wanted to take out without declaring 104 million rubles, or exceeded the limits set from March 2, ie a ban on the export of foreign currency from Russia over $ 10 thousand. By the way, the latter case covers almost every second such violation. Previously, by the way, imports and exports were not limited, only more than $ 10 thousand had to make a declaration, and more than $ 100 thousand – to confirm the origin of the money.
“In 90% of cases, the money was taken out by Russian citizens, which is due to their concern about their savings in the aggravated geopolitical situation and sanctions pressure on the country,” – said Deputy Head of the FMS of Russia Oleg Gubaidulin. According to him, the most popular destinations for cash export were those countries where mostly “migrants” migrated: Turkey, the UAE, Israel and Central Asia.
“Illegal transportation of Russian rubles, dollars and euros in luggage or clothes without concealment is most often recorded. But there are also cases when money is hidden in the lining and under the insoles of boots, ”FMS experts say. At the same time, lawyers almost sympathize with the “victims”. “Citizens often panic and try to take their savings and capital to where they think it will be safer. The events of the last month have prompted citizens to more active operations with money, and in some cases the sale of property to further withdraw the money raised abroad. This desire of people is dictated by emotional manifestations rather than criminal schemes,” said Polina Gusyatnikova, senior managing partner at PG Partners. However, there is no legal opportunity to export a large sum of more than $ 10,000 from Russia, the expert stated.
According to the law, an administrative fine is provided for non-declaration or unreliable indication by an individual of the amount of cash and instruments moving across the customs border of the Eurasian Economic Union (Article 16.4 of the Administrative Code). Its size can range from one second to twice the amount of unspecified funds or financial instruments. When the threshold values are reached to a particularly high level, and even in the case of a crime, a group of persons is liable as a restriction of liberty or forced labor for up to four years.
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