Inco Foods remains pragmatic after Belarus returns $2 million seized meats

A district court in Brest, Belarus, yesterday ruled that the seizure of $2 million worth of meat owned by Polish company Inco Food by the Belarussian administration had been illegal and that the meat should be returned to the company. The ruling comes after the Polish government, including deputy Prime Minister Jerzy Hausner, reacted sharply to the confiscation of Inco Food's produce. The shipment was seized at the end of July, with an additional $6 million fine imposed on Inco Food, for allegedly failing to clear the meat with customs before it was stored in coldstore. Despite the reversal of the fine and return of the meat, Inco Food, which is the largest Polish investor in Belarus, has incurred sizeable losses as a result of the incident and partly lost its liquidity. However, it says it is satisfied with the verdict and vows to continue business in Belarus. "The [Belarussian] market has really big potential, but one must take into account, that one operates in a certain legal framework," says Jarosław Drozd, deputy director of the Information System Department at the Foreign Ministry. (Rzeczpospolita, pp.A1,B1) T.J.