Authorities promise to solve customs office problem in Farladeni village shortly

The Customs Service promises to solve the problem related to the internal customs point in Farladeni village, Causeni district, within ten days. Hundreds of Farladeni villagers and representatives of the Parliament, Government and Presidency joined a so-called Assembly of the Village on Sunday, April 6, Info-Prim Neo reports. According to the Promo-Lex NGO, which offers the villagers legal and informational assistance, the people asked the authorities to annul the Government’s decision entitling to set up the internal customs checkpoint in Farladeni and to grant the village the status of security zone. The villagers pretend the customs officers commit abuses and impel them to pay taxes illegally. The villagers complain they are discriminated in comparison with the residents of other villages as Copanca, which, being in the same conditions and geographical area, enjoys the status of security zone. The Farladeni people are deprived of certain privileges granted by such a statute, including financial support from the state budget. The security zone covers the areas where clashes occurred during the 92 Nistru war. According to Promo-Lex lawyer Alexandru Postică, the representative of the Causeni Customs Service promised the Farladeni villagers the issue would be solved within ten days. He reasoned the promise by the fact that the head of the Customs Service had been replaced. Moldova Noastra Alliance MP Gheorghe Susarenco promised he would notify the Constitutional Court to declare as unconstitutional that governmental decision. The villagers are determined to block the near motorway, if their claims are not met in a week and a half. They have repeatedly notified the central authorities, complaining the customs officers illegally levy duties on their goods brought from the Transnistrian area, without issuing confirming receipts. Most of the villagers work in Bender, at a 7-km distance and receive their salaries in Transnistrian rubles, a reason why they make their shopping in the Transnistrian area. The people from Farladeni are indignant at being impelled to pay customs duties for bringing home produce from their fields close to the customs checkpoint, contrary to the law. On March 16, the Farladeni villagers picketed the customs point demanding to liquidate it and annul the customs taxes at the so-called border between Moldova and Transnistria.