Customs authorities charge Fiat with smuggling car parts into Poland

The customs police is charging Fiat Auto Poland with smuggling engines and car parts into Poland from 1989 to 1999, but the Central Customs Office (GUC) is defending Fiat, maintaining that the only problem are minor irregularities in documents. Fiat employees allegedly sometimes brought into Poland more engines and parts than invoices showed, taking advantage of simplified customs procedures applied to Fiat, one of the few select companies which are considered particularly trustworthy by the government. The Italian automotive firm has a long history of cooperating with Poland, dating back to the Communist era. Fiat advisor Mieczyslaw Nogaj, considered the originator of the simplified customs idea, said Fiat had no intention of cheating the state budget and that the whole issue was a result of employee carelessness. Janusz Starski, head of Katowice customs office, said the disparities are not a problem, because Fiat sometimes brought in more parts than it claimed, but at other times fewer. Customs police officials however believe the issue is more complex and that the irregularities discovered so far are only the tip of the iceberg. (Rzeczpospolita, p.A1) T.J.