CELEX: 62008CA0124
Language: en
Date: 2009-07-16 00:00:00
Title: Joined Cases C-124/08 and C-125/08: Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 16 July 2009 (references for a preliminary ruling from the Hof van Cassatie van België — Belgium) — Gilbert Snauwaert, Algemeen Expeditiebedrijf Zeebrugge BVBA, Coldstar NV, Dirk Vlaeminck, Jeroen Den Haerynck, Ann De Wintere (C-124/08), Géry Deschaumes (C-125/08) v Belgische Staat (Regulation (EEC) No 2913/92 — Community Customs Code — Customs debt — Amount of duty — Communication to the debtor — Act that could give rise to criminal court proceedings)

12.9.2009   
            
            
               EN
            
            
               Official Journal of the European Union
            
            
               C 220/9
            
         Judgment of the Court (Second Chamber) of 16 July 2009 (references for a preliminary ruling from the Hof van Cassatie van België — Belgium) — Gilbert Snauwaert, Algemeen Expeditiebedrijf Zeebrugge BVBA, Coldstar NV, Dirk Vlaeminck, Jeroen Den Haerynck, Ann De Wintere (C-124/08), Géry Deschaumes (C-125/08) v Belgische Staat
   (Joined Cases C-124/08 and C-125/08) (1)
   
   (Regulation (EEC) No 2913/92 - Community Customs Code - Customs debt - Amount of duty - Communication to the debtor - Act that could give rise to criminal court proceedings)
   2009/C 220/14
   Language of the cases: Dutch
   
      Referring court
   
   Hof van Cassatie van België
   
      Parties to the main proceedings
   
   
      Appellants: Gilbert Snauwaert, Algemeen Expeditiebedrijf Zeebrugge BVBA, Coldstar NV, Dirk Vlaeminck, Jeroen Den Haerynck, Ann De Wintere (C124/08), Géry Deschaumes (C-125/08)
   
      Respondent: Belgische Staat
   
      Re:
   
   Reference for a preliminary ruling — Hof van Cassatie van België — Interpretation of Article 221(1) and (3) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2913/92 of 12 October 1992 establishing the Community Customs Code (version in force in 1992) (OJ 1992 L 302, p. 1) — Post-clearance recovery of import or export duties — Whether or not the amount of the duty owed must be entered in the accounts before being communicated to the debtor — Limitation period — Customs fraud — Finding of joint and several liability
   
      Operative part of the judgment
   
   
               1.
            
            
               Article 221(1) of Council Regulation (EEC) No 2913/92 of 12 October 1992 establishing the Community Customs Code must be interpreted as meaning that the amount of import or export duty due may be validly communicated to the debtor by the customs authorities, in accordance with appropriate procedures, only if the amount of that duty has been entered in the accounts beforehand by those authorities.
            
         
               2.
            
            
               Article 221(3) of Regulation No 2913/92 must be interpreted as meaning that the customs authorities may, after the expiry of the period of three years from the date on which the customs debt was incurred, validly communicate to the debtor the amount of duty legally due, where the exact amount of that duty could not be determined by those authorities as a result of an act that could give rise to criminal court proceedings. That includes cases where the debtor has not committed that act.
            
         
      (1)  OJ C 142, 07.06.2008.