OREANDA-NEWS. April 01, 2013. SORAINEN is representing Zalvaris, one of Lithuania’s largest waste collection and management companies, and Baltical, one of the biggest secondary aluminium foundries in the Baltic States, in a dispute with the Customs Department.

In international trade, certificates of origin of goods issued by the state’s authorised body play an important role in determining the origin of imported goods. With these certificates the importer declares the origin of goods to the customs authorities. This serves as a basis for calculating import-related charges.

The Lithuanian customs received a report from the European Anti-fraud Office (OLAF) on an investigation into the import and export to the EU of silicon metal by Taiwan-based companies. The investigation raised the issue of the possible Chinese origin of the silicon metal.

Although the OLAF investigation report is only a guidance document and the customs authorities did not conduct an independent investigation on the specific import operations of the Lithuanian companies, they decided to impose anti-dumping customs duty and related taxes on the Lithuanian companies for silicon metal purchased. The tax obligation totals more than LTL 900,000 (approx EUR 260,000).

The case is pending before Vilnius Regional Administrative Court and its outcome will create an important precedent in the Lithuanian legal system.

The clients are represented by SORAINEN partner Kestutis Svirinas and associate Jonas Sakalauskas.