Lithuanian carriers retrieving trucks that had been held in Belarus since last autumn risk facing accusations of sanctions violations. They are required to pay parking fees to Beltamozhservice, which is under sanctions.
Lithuanian news agency BNS requested a comment from the Financial Crime Investigation Service.
“The provisions of the regulation and the law provide grounds to state that payments to sanctioned Beltamozhservice are considered prohibited provision of funds to a sanctioned entity. Payment to a sanctioned entity through third parties may be regarded as a violation of the prohibition on participating in activities aimed at circumventing the freezing of funds and economic resources.
The regulation is binding in its entirety and directly applicable in all EU member states, and it is binding on all legal entities registered or established under the laws of a member state”, the agency said in its reply.
Meanwhile, the Linava transport association says the Financial Crime Investigation Service has not given carriers clear guidance on how to make legal payments.
Lithuanian legal entities cannot pay by bank transfer. Paying in cash is also virtually impossible because of the ban on exporting euros from Lithuania. At the same time, bills for some companies amount to tens of thousands of euros. One possible payment method is to involve Belarusian partners. However, carriers fear possible penalties in the form of fines.
According to the Lithuanian Border Guard Service, by the end of Tuesday 451 trucks had returned to Lithuania. Belarusian customs authorities said yesterday that parking fees had been paid for 1,000 vehicles.